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From salted egg yolks and chili crunch fusions to mushroom-infused teas and freeze-dried fruit powder garnishes, Kimpton’s in-house experts share the standout ingredients, menu items and techniques that will come to the table in 2025.
Which brings us back to the restaurant industry. According to a study conducted by Technavio , the fast casual restaurant industry will witness a compound annual growth rate of over 12 percent from now until 2026. I believe that fast casual continues to be a great place for savvy multi-unit restaurant franchisees to diversify.
This edition of Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine's Research Roundup features the present and future of AI use in F&B, The Splintered Path to Purchase, the Datassential 500 Awards, and where chefs are earning six figures. At the same time, U.S. chain sales grew just 3.1 percent in 2024 — falling short of the 4.1
From full service to fast-casual to legacy fast-food brands, the one constant was disruption. This approach required fewer front-of-the-house staff to maintain a dining room, complied with government orders, and kept many brands from closing. Just as one issue seemed fixed, another presents itself.
So much data is generated at every point within a restaurant, whether fast casual or fine dining. The quicker businesses can feed that information back into operations, the better, whether for personalized dining, staffing optimization, or advertising and marketing.
. | Courtesy of Sabine Caf Rich Fox of Sabine in Seattle says leaning more casual has helped his bottom line A version of this post originally appeared on May 28, 2025, in Eater and Punchs newsletter Pre Shift , a biweekly newsletter for the industry pro that sources first-person accounts from the bar and restaurant world.
B Corp Restaurants As of early 2024, almost 150 restaurants around the world have achieved the certification, from fine-dining independents to fast-casual chains, with hotels, breweries and food delivery companies also dotting the list. But is B Corp certification something restaurants should pursue?
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to throw curve balls, the restaurant business is getting knocked back down just as it was starting to recover. At the same time, consolidation is pushing quick service and fast casual dining brand marketers to think more broadly about their consumers. Increased Emphasis on Online Ordering.
Whether its a loyalty program, strategic promotions, or email marketing campaigns, great marketing isnt just about attracting new customersits about keeping the ones you already have coming back. 4 Reasons Why You Cant Ignore Restaurant Marketing in 2025 Restaurant marketing in 2025 isnt just a nice-to-haveits a necessity.
Guests will expect to know every aspect of sourcing and meal preparation, which will disrupt traditional back-of-house systems with technology that connects the farm to the food. Elo’s Sonal Apte, vice president of retail and hospitality. Guests will demand a personalized journey when food is delivered to their door.
The real wins come from small, smart shifts; things like improving your online ordering system, highlighting your most profitable dishes, and giving existing customers more reasons to come back. Use photos, item placement, and smart labeling (for example, “guest favorite or “house specialty”) to steer attention toward high-margin menu items.
The key is to highlight what makes the dish stand out: the flavors, textures, or locally sourced ingredients that guests will be interested in. Be specific about standout elements For example, Arroyo Chop House shares with customers that they serve only the highest grade of domestic wagyu beef. Is your pasta handmade daily?
“We are seeing sign-on bonuses at fast food and fast casual locations, something never seen before in the industry. Fast casual will continue to push out full-service brands because they can assemble food in front of you and get food to the customer more quickly. Two-thirds of new hires signing up for DailyPay.
Tableside ordering via tablets, tableside payment, POS systems designed with mobility and flexibility in mind have dominated the market growing out of the fast casual. We’re also seeing many of our clients find new ways to be more sustainable in sourcing their food products. Mark Hoefer, General Manager, Le Bilboquet Atlanta.
Meanwhile, sales at cafes, fast-food restaurants, coffee shops, and casual-dining establishments fell by 27 percent. Meanwhile, sales at cafes, fast-food restaurants, coffee shops, and casual-dining establishments fell by 27 percent. What are causing these disruptions in the US food supply chain? Shortage of workers is one reason.
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. Every successful restaurant has one thing in common: they know exactly who they are serving.
You need ideas that will wow new customers and get the regulars excited to come back in. In-house promotions Leverage customers presence in-store by using flyers, table tents, A-frames, and mentions at the bottom of receipts. When its go-time, everyone should be cool, calm, and collectedthat includes both front and back of house.
Proper staff training keeps your team knowledgeable, confident, and able to provide the kind of customer service that keeps guests coming back. Front-of-house (FOH) staff, like servers and hosts, will need customer service training, upselling techniques, and communication skills. Focused training also speeds up the onboarding process.
This trend reflects the growing popularity of drive-thru and fast-casual dining, coupled with the demand for digital technologies such as QSR digital signage and QR codes. Consider, for instance, a scenario in which your Point of Sale (POS) system can forecast the popularity of a new dish based on historical customer behaviour.
And while automation and robotics can help streamline some elements of operations, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there's a newfound appreciation for human connection and dining experiences. We've reached a point where we're recognizing the value and limits of these technologies.
Brooklyn Dumpling House just opened and they're already franchising the idea. We also foresee a lot of companies will redesign locations even further to maximize efficiency. Fortunately, we have exceeded in our efforts to reduce our footprint and maximize profitability to effectively operate our drive-thrus and maintain team productivity.
Fast-casual spots usually dont have that luxury, so pricing needs to be tighter and more dialled in. This allows you to avoid paying the 25-30% third-party commission fees and keep more revenue in-house. Most operators aim for food costs to be around 28-35% of the menu price, though this can change from restaurant to restaurant.
This edition of Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine's Research Roundup features delivery data, tariff troubles, summer dining trends, and Beer Serves America. The report analyzed data from more than 30,000 QSR restaurants that generated a total of 4.5 billion transactions and $67 billion in sales in 2024. labor costs at 3 percent.
Furthermore, a recent study by SaverLife sponsored by the FINRA Foundation found that savings balances above just $250 are correlated with increased housing security, ability to pay utility bills, and avoiding high-cost borrowing. “We are very excited about our partnership with SaverLife. .
After that, the most popular back-office technologies were accounting software (52%, up from 31% in 2018) and payroll software (50%, up from 28% in 2018), according to a study from Toast. Your POS system reduces ordering errors, increases front-of-house and back-of-house efficiency, and helps you control inventory.
They provide insights into business strategy, guide business decisions, and are a reminder of why you started. If mission statements are that important, you'd think more restaurateurs would spend time creating theirs. Unfortunately, not all restaurateurs recognize the value of a well-thought-through mission statement. The result? The good news?
In a similar vein to tightly integrated systems across the business, we expect to see brands pursue simplification across all aspects of operations from how they manage payment processing to how they manage their digital expansion. End-to-end payment processing removes complexity and PCI compliance demands for operators.
A good operator looks back on their Business Plan on a monthly or quarterly basis to gauge where they are in terms,” says Mark Moeller, president, and owner of The Recipe of Success , a national restaurant consulting firm. You can't start a restaurant without a plan. But it doesn't have to be overwhelming. Table of Contents. Download now.
Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine asked experts for their thoughts on trends and challenges that will affect the restaurant industry in 2023. For part one, click here. The modern Kitchen Display System (KDS) will be more interactive to increase operational efficiencies and improve quality of food for the chefs and their teams.
30 Scott’s Kitchen and Catering Source: Instagram Scott’s Kitchen and Catering at Hangar 29 is a standout barbecue destination in Kansas City, Missouri, renowned for its expertly smoked meats and welcoming atmosphere. 29 Smoke N Bones BBQ Source: Instagram Smoke N Bones BBQ, located at 6417 Hampton Ave in St.
Hardee's, and Panda Express are just some of the leading restaurant chains that have added plant-based items to their menus over the past 12 months, with Del Taco, Qdoba Mexican Eats, Red Robin, and Yard House adding additional items to their existing plant-based offerings. This data covers U.S.
POS systems are where you place food and drink orders and send them to the back of the house. How a Restaurant POS System Streamlines Communication Between Waitstaff and Kitchen One of the main benefits of a digital POS system is the immediate communication between the front and the back of the house.
Interestingly enough, the very source of a lot of this tension — technology — can also be the solution. News headlines give you a pretty good idea of what’s top of mind for employees at QSRs and fast-casual locations: Staffing Shortages : We’re still 14,000 restaurant jobs short of where we were in February of 2020.
30 Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint Source: Instagram Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint has earned a solid following in South Carolina for its focus on traditional, low-and-slow cooking. 30 Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint Source: Instagram Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint has earned a solid following in South Carolina for its focus on traditional, low-and-slow cooking.
Source mccrindle.com.au Despite the challenges posed by rising living costs and shifting consumer spending patterns, the food and hospitality sector continues to adapt to meet the needs and wants of consumers in Australia. Innovative trends are emerging, reshaping the industry landscape and offering fresh opportunities for growth.
Switching from a fast-casual concept to fine dining can allow for a nice change of pace. Whether you’re managing multiple restaurants right now or are thinking about expanding your current business , this guide has everything you need to run more than one restaurant at once with success. Table of Contents. New Concept or Replicate?
Ike’s Love & Sandwiches is ranked #12 on Fast Casual’s Movers and Shakers 2021 list. “We owed this rebrand to our fan-base of customers, franchisees and budding investors to experience our brand in an optimized and energized way.” ” Ike's Loves Bangin' Buns.
So if you’re planning to launch from Paris to check out the cultural highlights, monuments, and natural landscapes that lay beyond city limits, make sure to include stops — for a day, an overnight stay, or a full weekend — at some of France’s most stunning restaurants and guesthouses. Marine Billet The gardens at Le Doyenné.
House of Representative considered changes to the Paycheck Protection Program. Another major hurdle for restaurants will be enticing enough customers back inside to make up for months of declines. But visits to casual restaurants remained lower than normal. Restaurant owners are hesitant to open.
The pop-up was literally my back to the wall and the only means that I had to articulate these ideas.”. Dola Sun /Eater. Pop-ups and residencies aimed at supporting chefs of marginalized backgrounds offer new paths to success. They also risk treating representation as an endpoint. actually be proactive in talking about change,” Mistry says.
Congrats! ?? And good luck. It’s going to be the ride of your life. As you plan out your concept, location, menu, staffing, and marketing, take a read through the advice left by hundreds of restaurateurs to ensure you’re set up for success in 2020. Educate yourself on costs, hiring, and the market you are in before taking the leap. Katy, Cartago.
On the other hand, skimping on ingredients increases the likelihood that a guest won't come back – and may even tell others not to do the same. Inventory was ordered based on par levels, which are set based on sales forecasts, which are in turn determined by how many guests you'll serve and what they'll order. Table of Contents.
30 The Salt Lick BBQ Source: Instagram The Salt Lick BBQ stands out for its bold, smoky flavors and signature open-pit cooking style. What keeps people coming back is the consistency in texture and taste across a wide variety of cuts. Texas BBQ is more than food—it’s tradition, passion, and community.
parent company of fast-casual restaurant chain The Habit Burger Grill, for approximately $375 million in a cash transaction. parent company of fast-casual restaurant chain The Habit Burger Grill, for approximately $375 million in a cash transaction. This edition of MRM News Bites features Yum! Beefing Up with Habit Acquisition.
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