Culinary Cues

JANUARY 13, 2025

The chef may have developed the dish and given it that first charge of life, but that work of art on the plate was the collective effort of great purchasing, solid prep work during the day, and accomplished line cooks who are able to consistently prepare and present superb food while juggling multiple orders at once.

Coaching 442

Coaching Sports Presentation Seasonal Menu 442

ChowNow

MARCH 27, 2025

If youre one of the thousands of restaurants that added online food delivery in recent years, you might be wondering: is it actually helping my business grow? For example, train kitchen staff to prepare orders in the order they were received. Staff training: Ensure employees double-check orders before sealing bags.

Delivery 195

Delivery Online Ordering Loyalty Program Food 195

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 14, 2024

Every restaurant and food related business is crying the same blues: “Where are the great employees?” You can aspire to be whatever you want to be in the food business – it just takes a few key decisions on your part. Remember how risky it was to take those training wheels off your bike at the age of seven or eight?

Coaching 415

Coaching Employee Relations Take-out Training 415

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 27, 2024

Miles Davis considered the most prolific improvisational jazz musician of a generation was classically trained. Picasso, from the age of seven, was trained in copying the work of traditional masters. Picasso, from the age of seven, was trained in copying the work of traditional masters. Be excellent!

Training 417

Training Coaching Uniforms Café 417

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2024

Sitting in a neighborhood restaurant after the recent election I was struck by the balancing act that food establishments have played for hundreds of years. This is what we do, this is our purpose, this is our privilege.

Front of House 433

Front of House Back of House Sourcing Travel 433

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 23, 2022

Consumers visit a fast food or quick serve restaurant (QSR) with a goal in mind: secure a tasty meal incredibly quickly. Once upon a time, a frontline employee at a fast food restaurant did not necessarily need technological skills to apply for the job. Who makes the magic happen? Cashiers, cooks, and other QSR crew members.

Food 474

Food Food Safety Front of House Fast Casual 474

Culinary Cues

APRIL 7, 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

Kitchen Safety 302

Kitchen Safety Food Supply 2030 Healthcare 302

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 25, 2024

The second family is a breath of fresh air when we could easily feel left out. [] WE SPEAK THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE: Finally, I am grateful for food as a communication vehicle. Happy Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for?

Food Supply 409

Food Supply Uniforms Café Take-out 409

Culinary Cues

MAY 12, 2025

A growing number of chefs are shifting their attention to independent operations that focus on foods with wider appeal that need a commitment to excellence. This was, after all, a peasant food, but now is in a class all to its own from utility to high cuisine. Everybody loves food that you can hold in your hands.

Fine Dining 348

Fine Dining Seasonal Menu Front of House White Paper 348

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

How do we keep the business of food from becoming more and more transactional? Commissaries for some restaurant chains have reduced the need for kitchens and trained cooks in individual units and the drive-thru has influenced Detroit to view your car as a dining space with added cup holders and space for holding food.

Fine Dining 242

Fine Dining Food Supply Customer Service Recruiting 242

ChowNow

MARCH 13, 2025

Juggling multiple food delivery apps means switching between tablets, manually entering orders into the POS, and trying to keep track of ever-changing fees and commissions. But what if all your food delivery apps were in one place? These small errors add up, leading to unhappy customers, negative reviews, and wasted food costs.

Delivery 195

Delivery Food Food Order Point of Sale 195

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 7, 2025

In this article, youll learn simple, practical strategies to make it happenno awkward upselling or overcomplicated tactics required. Train Staff How to Upsell Without Being Pushy Upselling doesnt have to be this awkward thing if you just frame it differently in your mind. Increase Your Restaurants Average Order Volume (AOV) 1.

Ordering 349

Ordering Online Ordering Loyalty Program Customer Experience 349

Culinary Cues

MAY 22, 2025

Twelve years have come and gone, the blog has topped 2 million views through 975 articles on every culinary/management topic imaginable, and I have had the honor of working with more than fifty different clients from coast-to-coast restaurants, hotels, resorts, culinary colleges, and commodity boards.

2025 238

2025 Food 2013 Education 238

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 20, 2025

It’s like training a pilot to fly but not teaching them how to fuel the plane or maintain it. Sysco, US Foods, and similar distributors have multiple revenue streams, but in this article, we’ll focus on one of their biggest sources of income: margins. They can get off the ground, but staying airborne?

Operations 418

Operations Beverage Point of Sale Pricing 418

Culinary Cues

MARCH 31, 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 Make more music.

Consumer Goods 448

Consumer Goods Small Business Transportation Take-out 448

Culinary Cues

JULY 15, 2024

We hire and fire, increase pay, or add more staff, change restaurant menus or add convenience foods to reduce the need for qualified employees, or simply accept that poor attitudes and inconsistent product are just “the way it is.” A training investment in your people is an investment in the success of the business.

Leadership 472

Leadership Food Truck Employee Relations Training 472

Culinary Cues

APRIL 14, 2025

When prepared tableside, the well-trained server or matre d would crush garlic between sister table forks, rub the interior of the bowl, use finesse to pour the right amount of olive oil, a coddled egg yolk, fresh lemon, salt and cracked pepper, and freshly grated parmigiana cheese. Food for thought.

Fine Dining 339

Fine Dining Seasonal Menu Travel Presentation 339

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 3, 2024

Nearly nine years ago, during the first twelve months of Harvest America Cues blog, one of my articles went viral attracting almost 40,000 views in one day. The article struck a nerve with its focus on A Cook’s Kitchen Laws. Since then, more than 100,000 people have read and shared that article.

Coaching 447

Coaching Restaurant Law Training Article 447

Culinary Cues

APRIL 22, 2025

It is an exercise that keeps me connected to the thousands of kitchen people who fill my life the ones who assemble those beautiful, delicious plates of food that guests expect without really understanding whats behind them.

Employee Relations 355

Employee Relations Reference Influencer Education 355

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 24, 2025

The simple things of a piece of land to work, a roof over our heads that can move from house to home, food on our table, clothes on our back, a solid education, good health and a job that provides and gives us satisfaction. Its not too much to ask, too much to expect, too much to dream of.

Back of House 386

Back of House Travel Government Education 386

Culinary Cues

MAY 1, 2025

This is how neighborhoods or towns become known as food destinations. When everyone begins to align with constant improvement (whether by choice or forced by a competitive marketplace) then the community of restaurants will notice rising interest inside and outside the traditional market.

Fine Dining 352

Fine Dining Innovation Consumer Goods Customer Service 352

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 28, 2024

A bar is a profitable business option if you’re looking to enter the food industry. In this article: How to calculate your profit margin for your bar What is the average profit margin for bars? Start by tracking all the income your bar generates, including sales from drinks, food, and any additional services.

Point of Sale 195

Point of Sale Merchandise Seasonal Menu Bar 195

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. There are times, possibly many times, when you question your own skill – whether in cooking or presenting food, or even with the operation of a kitchen. All in all – I can do the job.

Food 474

Food Presentation Café Leadership 474

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

.” Jack Welch Welch, the visionary past CEO of General Electric points to the most important role of a leader (chef, manager, restaurant owner) which is to develop their staff, to mentor them, to teach and train, and feed their passion until they match or even surpass your own abilities. This is the sign of true leadership.

Consumer Goods 290

Consumer Goods Presentation Leadership Dine-in 290

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 2, 2024

Some forty years of tying on an apron, polishing shoes, sharpening knives, and stressing about everything from the quality of produce arriving the next day to some quirky challenges with food cost. You are part of a team with a common mission that involves communicating through food.

Coaching 409

Coaching Take-out Food Order Inventory 409

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. Faster service, more food options and a higher check average sound great to me!

Seating 468

Seating Training Customer Service Point of Sale 468

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. Customer Service and Experience Great food and drink is only truly enjoyed when its coupled with a great service experience.

Operations 195

Operations Management Management Front of House 195

Culinary Cues

APRIL 23, 2023

Wine is part of the experience, and it has an impact on the food experience just as the food experience impacts wine. Can others depend on you to keep a level head? [] HAVE YOU EVER BUILT A BUDGET AND MANAGED IT EVERY DAY: Ah, yes, we love to cook and present beautiful plates of food. If you want the title, then work for it.

Seasonal Menu 520

Seasonal Menu Leadership Training Fine Dining 520

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. Controlling food waste is a hot topic in the industry as well. This is a trend I hope will go away.

2025 474

2025 Loyalty Program Waste Compost 474

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Employees must be properly trained and then given the responsibility and authority to make those decisions that fit their position. [] SERVE: Respect means that everyone involved in the restaurant is in the service business. Every day should be an opportunity for each employee to grow, learn, and improve through teaching and training.

Training 442

Training Customer Service Uniforms Leadership 442

Culinary Cues

APRIL 10, 2025

I often reflect back on that first job at 15 years old as a dishwasher in a Buffalo, New York diner and shake my head when I contemplate the opportunities that came my way, the people I have met and with whom I have worked, the places I have been, all that I continue to learn, and the life that a career in food has offered.

Travel 350

Travel Blog 2025 Food Order 350

Culinary Cues

MAY 8, 2023

It sounded like an appropriate title for an article about life in the kitchen. The chef has ultimate responsibility for the proper handling of ingredients, sanitation of the restaurant kitchen, and consistent implementation of food safety protocols. Finally, the chef signs every plate of food that leaves the kitchen.

Kitchen Safety 492

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Coaching Training 492

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. In this article: What strategies do you use to motivate and engage your restaurant employees? Hiring the right people can make or break your business.

Leadership 195

Leadership Management Management Operations 195

ChowNow

APRIL 11, 2025

To really get the most out of your tablets, you need to be strategic about how you choose them, use them, and train your staff. To learn more about order aggregation, read our article How Food Delivery Aggregators Help Restaurants Grow and Streamline Operations. Lets discuss the most efficient way to get your team up to speed.

Front of House 195

Front of House Allergens Online Ordering Back of House 195

Culinary Cues

MAY 6, 2025

Although the food photography and storyline about each chefs prowess behind the range are wonderful, it was the way that each has made a difference that justifies them as legends in life. Food and cooking may be the ticket to diplomacy. From our earliest days of life food has been a friend and a consistent nurturer.

Consumer Goods 249

Consumer Goods Education Sourcing Training 249

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.

Operations 195

Operations Email Marketing Food Supply Seasonal Menu 195

Culinary Cues

MAY 22, 2025

These ingredients are not commodities off the back of a delivery truck, they are sacrifices to the food eco-system. So, YES, the business of food is faced with challenges that impact those who work in kitchens but try to understand that the underlying benefits outweigh those challenges.

Food Truck 309

Food Truck Sports Education Influencer 309