Culinary Cues

MAY 12, 2022

Restaurants get hit from all angles so when there is a chance to push the envelope on pricing – many do. Of course, there is a handful of masterful chefs and restaurateurs who can charge crazy prices to sold out audiences. These are the restaurants where dining is much, much more than just consuming food.

Pricing 442

Pricing Consumer Goods Training Small Business 442

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?

Menu 195

Menu Seasonal Menu Point of Sale Online Ordering 195

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

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). Theres plenty of fear and loathing going on in the restaurant business. Every restaurant and restaurateur are struggling to figure it out how am I going to make this work? This is true for every business.

Fine Dining 242

Fine Dining Food Supply Customer Service Recruiting 242

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.

Innovation 352

Innovation Fine Dining Consumer Goods Customer Service 352

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. Additional findings indicate that 44 percent favor a balance of human staff and some technology, while 41 percent prefer no AI use at all in their dining experience.

Fast Casual 251

Fast Casual Food Point of Sale Mobile Ordering 251

ChowNow

MAY 23, 2025

When you decided to open a restaurant, you probably didnt picture yourself glued to spreadsheets or tracking the price of eggs, but keeping an eye on the numbers is how you stay open year after year. This gives you a sense of how effective your menu pricing is. This is the number that truly reflects your restaurants financial health.

Point of Sale 195

Point of Sale Insurance Fast Casual Customer Service 195

ChowNow

MAY 9, 2025

In this article, you will learn: The five most important restaurant costs to track and manage Easy strategies for controlling food costs and labor costs Tactics to save money without hurting your guest experience Lets start with the big picture and learn where your money is actually going. Are you overstaffed on slow days?

Operations 195

Operations Email Marketing Food Supply Seasonal Menu 195

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 16, 2023

With those stats in mind, Causeway Solutions conducted consumer research* on today’s dining trends compared to our research over the past few years. With the COVID impacts behind us, people are back in restaurants but as the CNN article stated, it is different. 46 percent said they occasionally dine at a fast-food restaurant.

Fast Casual 531

Fast Casual Fine Dining 2023 Consumer Goods 531

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

With people dining out less, some restaurant owners are increasingly trying to cut costs to stay afloat. This article will cover how implementing automation tools like IoT monitoring can save your business money, protect your inventory, and save time. Rising Overhead Costs Are Hiking up Prices. percent, the highest in 40 years.

Inventory 474

Inventory Equipment Waste Pricing 474

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 10, 2022

Nobody has time for that when there is a crowded dining room, to-go orders flying out the window and customers complaining about their favorite menu items going up in price. We’re going to park this one here until a little later in this article. Are you doing anything with that data? Leverage Purchasing Data.

Supplies 493

Supplies Food Supply Audits Inventory 493

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. Come on, we know this!

Fine Dining 449

Fine Dining Back of House Food Truck Pricing 449

ChowNow

MARCH 7, 2025

When used strategically, customer data can help you personalize marketing, streamline operations, and create a better dining experience for your guests. The more you understand your customers, the better you can fine-tune your marketing and pricing strategies. Or adjust your staffing schedule based on peak ordering times?

Loyalty Program 195

Loyalty Program Email Marketing Online Ordering Point of Sale 195

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. To get started collecting Google reviews, check out our article on How to Get More Google Reviews from Customers. Upload high-quality photos.

2025 195

2025 Email Marketing Social Media Loyalty Program 195

ChowNow

MARCH 13, 2025

In this article, you will learn: How a centralized delivery system eliminates the chaos of managing multiple platforms. Are delivery prices aligned with in-house costs? The result: Menus, pricing, and availability stay consistent across all platforms, ensuring a smoother customer experience. Which apps are performing best?

Delivery 195

Delivery Food Food Order Point of Sale 195

Culinary Cues

APRIL 15, 2023

All good intentions – they want to create full or partially full dining rooms for restaurants in need. 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.

Café 518

Café Seasonal Menu Point of Sale Social Media 518

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

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 28, 2024

In this article: How to calculate your restaurant customer acquisition cost (CAC) How to optimize your restaurant’s CAC and reduce costs What is a good cost per customer acquisition? Instead of casting a wide net with generic ads, use targeted marketing to reach the people most likely to dine at your restaurant.

Loyalty Program 195

Loyalty Program Fast Casual Social Media Email Marketing 195

EATER

JULY 18, 2023

Listen to this article In 1999, the first “dining in the dark” restaurant opened in Zurich, Switzerland. Blindekuh was founded by a blind pastor to generate empathy for blind people, and dining in the dark restaurants have provided reliable jobs for the chronically underemployed blind workforce.

Dine-in 246

Dine-in Restaurant Law Website Management Fine Dining 246

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. This was the restaurant world, or at least part of it, prior to the pandemic. Magazine: [link].

Dine-in 450

Dine-in Small Business Seasonal Menu Café 450

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

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 31, 2020

Articles written in early March, just a week before most restaurant COVID-19 closures suggested that restaurant bankruptcies were increasing with more on the way. Articles written in early March, just a week before most restaurant COVID-19 closures suggested that restaurant bankruptcies were increasing with more on the way.

Retail 443

Retail Casual Back of House Consumer Goods 443

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. We have created appetizer packages that offer a nice selection of our menu at a reasonable price per person.

Seating 468

Seating Training Customer Service Point of Sale 468

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. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about getting started with restaurant marketing.

2025 195

2025 Marketing Email Marketing Operations 195

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

Since 2014, online ordering has grown 300% faster than dine-in and now accounts for roughly 40% of restaurant sales. Running your own online ordering system gives you complete control over pricing, promotions, and customer data, helping you maximize profits while still offering convenience. billion in revenue.

Online Ordering 195

Online Ordering Ordering Email Marketing Mobile Ordering 195

ChowNow

MARCH 20, 2025

Whether theyre grabbing takeout, dining in, or ordering delivery, diners dont have patience for long waits or clunky systems. To learn more about order aggregation, read our article on How to Simplify Order Management Across Multiple Platforms. But it doesnt have to be this way. At the same time, staff can only move so fast.

Operations 195

Operations Online Ordering Customer Service Customer Experience 195

ChowNow

APRIL 25, 2025

In this article, you will learn: How to define your brand identity and mission statement How to create a visual and verbal brand strategy that feels cohesive across every customer touchpoint How your brand will build a loyal customer base that lasts for the long haul Lets get started with why you should give branding the attention it deserves.

Mobile Ordering 195

Mobile Ordering Social Media Email Marketing Customer Experience 195

ChowNow

MAY 16, 2025

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

Mobile Ordering 195

Mobile Ordering Loyalty Program Online Ordering Download 195

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 28, 2021

This approach required fewer front-of-the-house staff to maintain a dining room, complied with government orders, and kept many brands from closing. More recent price increases have nearly doubled this number. The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a lot of chaos and accelerated several trends within the restaurant industry.

Franchise 492

Franchise Franchising 2022 Fast Casual 492

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 16, 2020

Consider the following: Facebook : Popular with baby boomers and Gen Xers looking for engaging content such as photos, videos, and articles with links. Some platforms such as Facebook have apps that run coupons and contests for you, making it even easier to lure diners with a two-for-one entree detail or half-price happy hour snacks.

Social Media 505

Social Media Coupons Download Entertainment 505

ChowNow

MARCH 28, 2025

Whether its through AI-powered chatbots that handle customer inquiries or advanced analytics that help you understand dining trends, AI is becoming an indispensable tool for modern restaurants. The short answer? More than you think. AI isnt about replacing peopleits about making everyday tasks faster, smarter, and easier to manage.

Front of House 195

Front of House Back of House Online Ordering Email Marketing 195

ChowNow

APRIL 15, 2025

In this article, youll learn: How to break down your operating costs into fixed, variable, and semi-variable Smart ways to lower labor and food costs without sacrificing customer service Where hidden expenses are hiding in your tech stackand how to fix it Lets discover where your money is going, and how to take back control.

Operations 195

Operations Online Ordering Customer Service Customer Experience 195

Culinary Cues

MAY 20, 2024

It’s been 89 years since Escoffier stood in front of a range for the last time, yet his presence is still felt by professional cooks and chefs. In every office where I sat over the past 30 some odd years, has hung this picture of the master craftsman, leader, and ambassador of proper cooking and kitchen organization.

Hotels 341

Hotels Front of House Fine Dining Back of House 341

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Long before the restaurant chains of today, decades prior to the birth of fine dining, experience dining, and molecular gastronomy, there were neighborhood cafes that were part of small communities across the country. Ah, but the food and conversation were consistently good, plentiful, and in-expensive.

White Paper 411

White Paper Hospitality Fine Dining Reference 411

Culinary Cues

JUNE 29, 2024

What would it take for guests to rave about dining in your restaurant? Work at it and the dining experience will improve exponentially. [] REMEMBER A GUEST’S PURCHASING PROFILE: There is no excuse today for failing to know the buying habits of your guest. Is it possible to set the stage for these reactions?

Customer Experience 345

Customer Experience Dine-in Back of House Customer Service 345

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. Where we fall short is in the details of that menu, the complements, the “tag along” ingredients. They are out there.

Food Truck 474

Food Truck Customer Experience Take-out Food Supply 474

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

How powerful is a complete dining experience and what exactly is it? An owner for whom I worked years ago referred to it as the Total Dining Experience and I have held on to this concept ever since. Is your ventilation system designed to push positive kitchen odors to the dining room or outside the entrance?

Fine Dining 409

Fine Dining Dine-in Front of House Design 409