Modern Restaurant Management

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

These are indeed the table stakes when it comes to delivering premium experiences. In the January 23, 2024 New York Times article,“The Menu Trends That Define Dining Right Now,” the publication gathered 121 menus from restaurants all over the United States. And as spending increases, so does engagement.

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Seasonal Menu 2024 Customer Experience Menu 251

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

When customers are looking for a new place to eat, one of the first steps in that journey is checking reviews. After reading this article, you will realize that reviews are your most valuable online asset, and leaving them unattended is unthinkable. Make sure its prominently placed so customers dont have to hunt for it.

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2025 Customer Experience Customer Service Website Management 221

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

This is not the normal amount of angst that has been present for decades fickle customer tastes, rising cost of goods, changing demographics, or escalating rents; there are far deeper concerns that make everyone scratch their heads in wonder. Theres plenty of fear and loathing going on in the restaurant business.

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Fine Dining Food Supply Customer Service Recruiting 242

ChowNow

MARCH 21, 2025

Understanding your target market is the foundation of making smart decisions for your menu, pricing, and overall guest experience. In this article, you will learn: How to define your restaurants target market to guide your business decisions. Key customer factors that influence dining preferences, from demographics to behavior.

Marketing 195

Marketing Social Media Email Marketing Loyalty Program 195

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 22, 2024

From improving your Google listing to leveraging customer reviews, these tips will show you how to boost your visibility and drive more traffic to your restaurant. If your website isn’t optimized for mobile, you could be losing out on potential customers.

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Book Marketing Email Marketing Social Media 195

ChowNow

MAY 30, 2025

Bad restaurant reviews might hurt in the moment, but every one of them is an opportunity to set things right with a disgruntled customer, get insight on how to improve your operations, and turn a negative experience into a chance for growth by showing future customers you care about their dining experience.

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Operations Customer Experience Customer Service Dine-in 195

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 9, 2021

Valentine’s Day is often a busy time for restaurants, but many are now dealing with various challenges amid the pandemic, like no indoor dining or limited capacity as well as more customers opting for carry out. With the Marketing Rule of 7 , it takes an average of seven interactions with a brand before a purchase takes place.

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Marketing Email Marketing Website Management Social Media 553

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

Youre delivering a great dining experience, yet foot traffic remains inconsistent, online engagement is low, and new customers arent coming in as often as youd like. The problem isnt your food or serviceits visibility and customer engagementand were going to help you fix that. Optimize your Google Business Profile.

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2025 Email Marketing Social Media Loyalty Program 195

ChowNow

JANUARY 23, 2025

Regular customers make up the backbone of any restaurants sales , but if you put a group of restaurant owners around a table, the conversation inevitably focuses on growth through new customer acquisition. But first, why is customer retention such a big deal? But first, why is customer retention such a big deal?

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2025 Loyalty Program Operations Email Marketing 195

ChowNow

APRIL 4, 2025

Youre not just serving foodyoure managing impressions, experiences, and expectations, all in the digital world. Thats why its important to get proactive and make it super easy for your happy customers to speak up about their experience. This ensures that the information potential customers find is accurate and up-to-date.

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Management Management Social Media Online Ordering 195

ChowNow

MAY 23, 2025

You can have a crowd-pleasing menu, loyal regulars, and a packed dining roomand still watch your margins disappear. Because not every dish thats popular is profitable. Too many restaurant menus are built on intuition and aesthetics, not real numbers. What Is Menu Engineering and Why Should You Care?

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7 Shifts

OCTOBER 28, 2024

However, it’s best to understand how cost-effective your current customer acquisition efforts are before dedicating resources to it. Knowing how to calculate and optimize your customer acquisition cost (CAC) can help you make smarter decisions about your marketing and advertising strategies.

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Loyalty Program Fast Casual Social Media Email Marketing 195

ChowNow

MARCH 7, 2025

Its the number one way customers discover new restaurants and if your business isnt showing up in the search results, youre losing diners to competitors who are. Local restaurant SEO is the best way to attract new customers, and its easier than you thinkyou dont need to be a technical expert to start seeing real results.

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Modern Restaurant Management

AUGUST 25, 2020

Additionally, restaurants will experience a significant shift in technology and customer service. Airflow within restaurants should flow from cleaner sources to dirtier sources – from dining areas to kitchens, restrooms to pick up / delivery spaces and more. Architectural Considerations in HVAC.

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Design Guest Recovery Consumer Goods Fine Dining 531

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 25, 2020

As the fight against COVID-19 continues, more of those same restaurants have started considering—and even implementing—new plans for welcoming employees and customers back for in-person dining. In-person dining will pose unique hygiene challenges to your restaurant, particularly in high-traffic areas.

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Employee Relations Customer Experience Communication Training 547

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 30, 2025

This edition of Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine's Research Roundup features delivery data, tariff troubles, summer dining trends, and Beer Serves America. In recent years, consumer behaviors have drastically changed to now preferring delivery services and an increased willingness to pay a premium for a seamless experience.

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ChowNow

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

By the time you finish this article, youll know how to approach restaurant marketing the right way and not waste time doing guesswork, crossing your fingers, and then hoping you see new customers walking through the door. Customers have more choices, higher expectations, and countless ways to discover (or overlook) your restaurant.

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2025 Marketing Email Marketing Operations 195

ChowNow

MARCH 7, 2025

Restaurants collect a ton of customer data. Think about it: What if you could automatically send a special offer to a customer who hasnt ordered in a while? When used strategically, customer data can help you personalize marketing, streamline operations, and create a better dining experience for your guests.

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Loyalty Program Email Marketing Online Ordering Point of Sale 195

ChowNow

JANUARY 30, 2025

The ultimate goal of branding is to create an emotional connection with your customers that encourages them to choose you over your competitors. Thats why we created this easy guide to restaurant branding: to make certain you never miss an opportunity to connect with your customers. But how do you get there? for that exact same meal.

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Email Marketing Mobile Ordering Customer Experience Online Ordering 195

ChowNow

APRIL 11, 2025

In this article, youll learn: How online reviews shape restaurant discovery and customer decision-making Why positive reviews lead to higher revenue and stronger customer loyalty How to make them work in your favor, even when the feedback isnt perfect Lets dig into why online reviews matter more than everand how they can help your restaurant grow.

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Online Ordering Social Media Customer Service Customer Experience 195

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 11, 2022

There are several related practices that I think we’re going to see prevail as dining brands look for innovative ways to not just survive but thrive. In addition to cost savings, there is plentiful evidence that consumers prefer online ordering and will select dining brands based on the ease of that experience.

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2022 Marketing Fast Casual Mobile Ordering 520

7 Shifts

NOVEMBER 15, 2024

After all, it’s not just the quality of your food that can keep customers coming back — 73% of diners base their satisfaction on the quality of service they receive. Your staff, especially your restaurant manager, plays a crucial role in the overall dining experience.

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Leadership Management Management Operations 195

ChowNow

MAY 9, 2025

This doesnt mean cutting corners and sacrificing the customer experience; its about knowing where your money is going, spotting leaks early, and fine-tuning whats already working. Well start by breaking down your prime costsfood and laborsince theyre not only your biggest expenses, but also the ones you have the most control over.

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Operations Email Marketing Food Supply Seasonal Menu 195

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 7, 2024

In almost every conversation I have with other industry professionals, someone will say “before COVID… ” or “since COVID… ” As a matter of fact, in many of my articles I make the same comparison. I’ll make this connection for you later in this article. This is a trend I hope will go away.

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ChowNow

MARCH 20, 2025

Every restaurant faces operational challengeseven with a great menu and a talented team, bottlenecks can slow service, frustrate customers, and cut into profits. Staff scramble, customers grow impatient, and suddenly, a busy night turns into chaos. A slow experience isnt just frustratingits a reason to go somewhere else next time.

Operations 195

Operations Online Ordering Customer Service Customer Experience 195

ChowNow

MAY 2, 2025

Your customer email list is your most valuable marketing asset, giving you an incredible ROI of $42 for every $1 you spend. You own it, it costs very little to maintain, and its a direct link to your customers any time youd like to reach themno complicated algorithms or third-party platforms getting in the way.

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Email Marketing Loyalty Program Social Media Seasonal Menu 195

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 12, 2023

From softwares like ChatGPT to self-driving cars like the Tesla Model 3, AI and automation are making remarkable strides In the restaurant industry, these solutions are streamlining various aspects, including inventory management, contactless ordering, customer behavior analysis, and more.

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Customer Service Customer Experience Social Media Innovation 507

ChowNow

MAY 16, 2025

A great dining experience starts long before someone walks through your door. Nearly every customer journey begins with a search on Google, then a scroll through several restaurant websites before something catches their eye. 77% of diners visit a restaurants website before they dine in or order takeout or delivery.

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Mobile Ordering Loyalty Program Online Ordering Download 195

ChowNow

MARCH 21, 2025

The result is frustrated customers, stressed employees, and a system that feels more like a burden than a boost to your business. In this article, youll learn: How food delivery aggregators work and why theyre valuable. The operational and customer service benefits of using an aggregator. Is your delivery operation disorganized?

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Delivery Operations Food Online Ordering 195

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 21, 2025

Youll learn how to: Make your website easier to use Improve your restaurants online visibility so more customers find you Offer rewards to create more repeat customers Leverage third-party apps to drive more customers to your direct ordering system And so much more. Lets get started. Next, take a look at your menu.

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Online Ordering Ordering Email Marketing Mobile Ordering 195

ChowNow

APRIL 25, 2025

Its the sum of everything about your restaurant, from your menu design and decor to the tone you use when replying to comments on social media or greeting customers walking through the door. Its not just about looking good (though that is a part of it); its about creating an emotional connection that shapes the entire customer experience.

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Mobile Ordering Social Media Email Marketing Customer Experience 195

ChowNow

MARCH 27, 2025

Menu pricing isnt just about covering costsits about finding that sweet spot where profitability, customer perception, and operational reality meet. Too high, and youll drive customers away. High-end restaurants can charge more for the experience, leaving wiggle room for a higher food cost percentage.

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Pricing Menu Point of Sale Customer Experience 195

ChowNow

APRIL 11, 2025

Its going to get dropped, splashed with sauce, and maybe knocked off the bar by a customers pursethats just part of the deal. Bonus points if the interface is also customer-friendly, especially if you plan to use tablets for self-ordering or digital menus. Tablets are everywhere in restaurants these days, and with good reason.

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ChowNow

MARCH 13, 2025

In this article, you will learn: How a centralized delivery system eliminates the chaos of managing multiple platforms. What should be a reassuring sightscreens full of customer ordersis actually a logistical nightmare. These small errors add up, leading to unhappy customers, negative reviews, and wasted food costs.

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Delivery Food Food Order Point of Sale 195

ChowNow

APRIL 15, 2025

Restaurant KPIs are numbers that go beyond basic accounting to help you see how every part of your business is performingfrom your profit margins to your guest experience. Not all restaurant KPIs measure the same thingsome help you protect your bottom line, while others can improve your operations efficiency or improve guest experience.

Operations 195

Operations Email Marketing Point of Sale Online Ordering 195

ChowNow

MARCH 14, 2025

Since 2014, these channels have grown 300% faster than dine-inand the trend isnt slowing down. Operators who ignore this opportunity risk losing significant revenue to their competitors while missing out on the chance to build a stronger connection with their customers. But growing online order volume isnt always easy.

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Ordering Mobile Ordering Online Ordering Email Marketing 195

ChowNow

MAY 23, 2025

In this article, youll learn: Why every operator has to monitor their restaurant profit margins Why it can be so challenging to increase your profit margins How to improve your margin numbers Lets dig into why margins, not just sales, make or break a restaurant business. Your cost of goods sold (ingredients, beverages, packaging, etc.)

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Point of Sale Insurance Fast Casual Customer Service 195