Modern Restaurant Management

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

If you were to ask people who enjoy the finer things in life about the hallmarks of a luxury hotel, you would likely get responses that include quality, consistency, and service. Everything from health and wellness trends to eco-consciousness and pop culture are all reflected in the pop-ups, restaurants, and dining trends we see daily.

Seasonal Menu 251

Seasonal Menu 2024 Customer Experience Menu 251

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.

Fast Casual 251

Fast Casual Food Point of Sale Mobile Ordering 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

The Rail

JANUARY 21, 2025

In this article, we'll explore five practical ways AI helps restaurants reduce food waste by up to 30%, making sustainability an attainable goal for the industry. Predicting Customer Demand Accurately One of the leading causes of food waste in restaurants is overproduction. This allowed chefs to track and manage stock more effectively.

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Waste Compost Recycling Food 182

Culinary Cues

MAY 1, 2025

The same can be true for the quality of purchased meats and fresh fish, an expanded wine list, broader selection of regional beers, an upgrade to quality coffee and tea, or even improving the sound system in dining rooms. Can there be too much competition? However, the benefits of appropriate competition are quite pronounced.

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Innovation Fine Dining Consumer Goods Customer Service 352

ChowNow

MARCH 21, 2025

On the other hand, when you know exactly who your ideal customers are, you can craft an experience that resonates with customers on a deeper, emotional level, creating a connection that will keep them coming back for years. In this article, you will learn: How to define your restaurants target market to guide your business decisions.

Marketing 195

Marketing Social Media Email Marketing Loyalty Program 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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2025 Loyalty Program Waste Compost 474

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

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 22, 2024

Nowadays, running a successful restaurant takes more than great food and good service. 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. To do so, you must have an optimized website and engaging social media profiles.

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Book Marketing Email Marketing Social Media 195

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

APRIL 4, 2025

Thats why its important to get proactive and make it super easy for your happy customers to speak up about their experience. Most customers wont leave a review online unless theyre encouragedso give them a simple way to do it. Most customers wont leave a review online unless theyre encouragedso give them a simple way to do it.

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Management Management Social Media Online Ordering 195

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

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

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

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

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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SEO Online Ordering Mobile Ordering Website Management 195

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. Overworked employees and impatient customers. The result?

Operations 195

Operations Online Ordering Customer Service Customer Experience 195

ChowNow

MARCH 21, 2025

Is your staff struggling to juggle multiple tablets, leading to slower service and mistakes? Instead of streamlining services, your delivery station creates chaosmultiple tablets cluttering the counter, staff constantly switching between screens, and a never-ending struggle to keep up with incoming orders.

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Delivery Operations Food Online Ordering 195

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 11, 2022

In particular, supply chain disruptions and staffing shortages – whether due to resignations or illness – are forcing quick service and fast casual restaurants to adapt quickly to changing conditions. As brands struggled to survive in the earlier part of the pandemic, the acquisition market was ripe for bargain hunters.

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2022 Marketing Fast Casual Mobile Ordering 520

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.

Customer Service 507

Customer Service Customer Experience Social Media Innovation 507

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. A good labor cost percentage to shoot for is between 20%-30% , depending on your service style and local wage laws. Are you overstaffed on slow days?

Operations 195

Operations Email Marketing Food Supply Seasonal Menu 195

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

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. And speed matters.

Operations 195

Operations Customer Experience Customer Service Dine-in 195

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

Are you doing all the right thingsserving amazing food, delivering top-notch service, crafting perfectly balanced drinksbut the tables still arent filling up like they should? 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.

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2025 Email Marketing Social Media Loyalty Program 195

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. Its tough, and cant be done passively.

Operations 195

Operations Management Management Front of House 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.

Loyalty Program 195

Loyalty Program Email Marketing Online Ordering Point of Sale 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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Front of House Allergens Online Ordering Back of House 195

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 24, 2024

Read any article enumerating the current or emerging trends in restaurants and retail and you will see ideas of health and wellness, environmental sustainability, and brand authenticity coming to the fore. I have been fortunate to work with Sleepy Bee Cafe since its founding in 2013. Green Restaurant and Slow Food were others we considered.

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Certification Fast Casual Government Front of House 221

ChowNow

MARCH 13, 2025

Its a recipe for chaos, leading to mistakes, slower service, and shrinking profit margins. 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.

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Delivery Food Food Order Point of Sale 195

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 5, 2023

In 2023, it is estimated that 87 million Americans will dine out on Mother’s Day. This is great news for restaurants, but they should also be prepared for an influx of customers coming with their most special guests, and expecting nothing but a prime customer experience that will pamper their mothers.

Mobile Ordering 419

Mobile Ordering Online Ordering Customer Service Customer Experience 419

Culinary Cues

MARCH 16, 2025

How can we stay in business when customers have no interest in leaving their homes? Do you remember how challenging it was (and continues to be) to attract employees and customers once the pandemic seemed to settle down? But you might want to stop now and again and reflect on a time, not too long ago. Think back to March of 2020.

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Food Supply Customer Service Delivery Recruiting 232

ChowNow

APRIL 15, 2025

In this article, youll learn: The most important restaurant KPIs for restaurant profitability, efficiency, and growth How to calculate and benchmark major KPIs using simple formulas Practical tips for tracking KPIs without getting overwhelmed Lets start by breaking down what KPIs are, and why they require your attention.

Operations 195

Operations Email Marketing Point of Sale Online Ordering 195

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

What was once a gradual process turned into a rapid transformation, permanently reshaping how restaurants operate and interact with customers. Customers have now fully embraced the benefits of using restaurant technology, and to keep up with guests evolving expectations, the tech industry is growing at an incredible rate.

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2025 Technology Loyalty Program Mobile Ordering 195

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 5, 2022

In my last article I discussed how robots will transform our industry in a big way, but that is a few years off. In this article I will discuss the strategies that I have implemented with my clients across the country. The first question is, how do I give the quality service that our guests expect? Quality Service Above All.

Seating 468

Seating Training Customer Service Point of Sale 468

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 23, 2022

The hi-tech workforce has expanded into factories, warehouses, ecommerce delivery fleets, and this article’s focus: quick serve restaurants. Restaurant and retail employees were hard to come by while the number of channels for interacting with customers multiplied. Who makes the magic happen?

Food 474

Food Food Safety Front of House Fast Casual 474

ChowNow

MARCH 28, 2025

AI is no longer just a buzzword, its a reality that is reshaping how restaurants operate, interact with customers, and make decisions. AI is no longer just a buzzword, its a reality that is reshaping how restaurants operate, interact with customers, and make decisions. The short answer? More than you think.

Front of House 195

Front of House Back of House Online Ordering Email Marketing 195

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 4, 2021

Registering on GMB is free and taking the time to do this pays off for restaurants by allowing Google to recommend an eatery to people searching for dining options in the area. Restaurants can also their GMB page to engage with customers, highlighting special offers and discounts, publicizing events and promoting new menu offerings.

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SEO Website Management Online Ordering Mobile Ordering 577