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A recent eBook by Softarex Technologies highlights all the main aspects of AI usage in restaurant operations, from customerservice to back-of-house management. This transformation is not just about automation; it's about creating smarter, more efficient, and more personalized dining experiences.
“This enduring customer loyalty drives the restaurant industry forward, creating clear opportunities for restaurants to enhance the dining experience through strategic limited time offers, efficient delivery and exceptional in-person service," said Samir Zabaneh, CEO of TouchBistro.
Understand the Basics of Tip Distribution Before creating or adjusting your tipping policy, understand the typical roles involved and how tips are usually distributed: Waitstaff: Often the primary recipients of tips as they interact directly with customers. kitchen staff, bartenders) significantly contribute to customer satisfaction.
“As the restaurant industry appears to increasingly embraces AI, the journey to full-scale transformation is still a work in progress," said Evert Gruyaert, restaurants and food service industry leader, Deloitte. "Leveraging Customerexperience is the most common use case.
Widespread Adoption of Technology Solutions in Food Service In 2025, the food service industry will increasingly leverage technology for waste tracking and diversion. – Frenchie Audette, VP of Food Service at Divert In 2024, the restaurant industry continued to adjust to changes sparked by 2020.
Restaurants and bars are leaning into automation to address staffing shortages, enhance operational efficiency, and meet rising customer expectations for speed and consistency. In 2025, I expect automation to keep expanding beyond back-of-house applications into more guest-facing roles.
Whether the business has just staffed up for the holidays or experiences their busy period at a different time of the year, investing in seasonal talent is a crucial part of labor strategy year-round. Perhaps the most important factor in attracting strong seasonal talent is creating a positive employee experience.
Tableside caviar service A prosciutto cart An authentic kaiseki tasting experience and members-only Japanese whiskey lounge Tableside s’mores These are just a few examples of ways restaurants across the country are hoping to attract guest by elevating the dining experience and creating a vibe highlighted by superior food and presentation.
In the fast-paced world of food service, communication is everything. From taking orders to coordinating back-of-house operations, every moment counts. Yet many restaurants are still relying on outdated or overly complex communication tools that slow down operations and hinder their ability to deliver exceptional service.
Tipping expectations have skyrocketed, and consumers are pushing back. This “tipflation” phenomenon is leading to lower gratuity rates, even at full-service restaurants. Gen Z, in particular, is rejecting tipping culture, seeing it as a forced surcharge rather than a reward for great service. Transparency is key.
A customer in Miami should bite into the same perfectly seasoned burger that delights diners in Seattle. Reliable experiences build brand loyalty, and systemic processes lead to reliable profit margins. It’s no secret that restaurants with more than one location depend on standardization to thrive.
Quick-service restaurants maintain a steady customer satisfaction score of 79 (on a 100 point scale), while full-service restaurants — despite slipping 2 percent to 82 — remain one of the highest-rated industries in the Index, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Restaurant and Food Delivery Study 2025.
With the rising costs of goods, consumers growing more conscious of spending habits, and private equity-backed brands popping up in communities large and small, mom-and-pops are in danger of adding to the failure statistics. Scalable solutions like self-service kiosks and predictive analytics are transforming the way small businesses operate.
Looking back, I was optimistic—perhaps a bit naïve—about what scaling would require. The Turning Point: Expanding into CPG Scaling an artisan food business isn’t just about making more product—it’s about ensuring that growth doesn’t dilute quality, customerexperience, or operational efficiency.
“Most agencies can offer marketing services, but very few truly understand what it’s like to be in the weeds on a Friday night, when a chef didn’t show up and ticket times are running at 40 minutes,” said Beechner. ” to reflect their marketing philosophy and experience in both sectors. And I love that.
In co-founding Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café, I’ve learned the importance of strategically preparing our strategic partners for the summer rush to not only meet increased demand, but to consistently deliver an elevated guest experience to every customer who walks through our doors.
While this uncertainty may seem like a challenge, it also offers restaurateurs the opportunity to step back and look at the factors that may be eating away at their bottom line. Owners and operators need to focus on back-of-house spending to find ways to reduce expenses. One often-overlooked area is water consumption.
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.
In today’s fast-paced dining world, guest satisfaction goes beyond just great food—it’s about delivering a seamless experience. When guest expectations are sky-high and every table turn counts, how quickly a team responds – both to guests and to each other – can significantly shape the dining experience.
"Customer expectations changed. So, even though we’re back to dining in, the damage has been done, and it manifests in all kinds of ways." Not a huge rise (it was tense back in the day), but a meaningful one." Employee expectations changed. Financial dynamics changed.
With 70 percent of operators struggling to fill job openings and 45 percent reporting they don’t have enough staff to meet customer demand, according to the National Restaurant Association. These technologies help streamline operations, lighten the workload for staff, and create a better experience for both employees and customers.
While the fastest, easiest option might seem to be letting a number of employees go or drastically changing service hours, such extreme measures can actually backfire. Here are three ways to reduce your costs without experiencing backlash or sacrificing service quality.
As a restaurant manager or operator, you are the driving force in productivity – leading your staff and keeping customers happy. This leads to the abnormally high turnover rate most operators experience today. There will always be a customer on the receiving end of that waste of time.
For many restaurant owners, delivery has become critical for profitability, especially as customer demand increases. Unfortunately, due to strain on resources, most restaurant owners no longer believe they can offer their customers a positive direct-delivery experience. Others worry about how smooth the experience will be.
Rifrullo Café, a cozy farm-to-table restaurant in Brookline, Massachusetts, hums with customers on a steamy July mid-morning. As a chef, I have a responsibility to do my best to create good environments for people, customers, and the community,” says Marnell-Suhanosky. Food service buildings in the U.S., Community, environment.
In the food service industry, branded apparel is a critical extension of your business's identity. The uniforms worn by staff, from kitchen to counter, represent your brand in every customer interaction, making apparel a strategic business decision rather than merely an operational requirement.
The combination of lemon and lime juices highlights the house-developed syrups and purees and doesn’t overpower the margaritas. We also brought back two flavors—prickly pear and blood orange—because guests told us loud and clear that they missed them when they were taken off the list.” By Patricia Cobe on Jul.
One of those costs is with partnering services, with many food service operators relying on purchasing groups to help them make category-specific strategic purchases. There are many areas where we have seen food service operators benefit! This makes business tight causing a hard look at any extra costs.
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.
We like to say waffles “drip with success” for food service operators, and it's because of four key factors: profitability, versatility, consumer experience and operational efficiency. It’s a favorite of ours and pretty straightforward. Versatility: They are essentially a blank canvas. .
Its smooth texture, superior binding, and ability to hold up under heat make it a back-of-house essential. With breakfast sandwiches topping morning menus and protein-rich items on the rise, this wrap delivers big flavor—and back-of-house ease. A mix of Philadelphia Cream Cheese and A.1. Click here to learn more.
Every day, youre juggling staff, food quality, inventory, customerservice, 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. Great restaurant operations dont happen by accident.
Digital not only powers seamless experiences but also unlocks guest data that can elevate hospitality across all touchpoints, both digital and in-person. The customer's needs always come first, even though my prices continue to rise. One of the most impactful changes – and the stickiest – is contactless payment.
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. You love seeing them come in, and you say hello, but is that enough to keep them coming back for years down the line?
AI is no longer just a buzzword, its a reality that is reshaping how restaurants operate, interact with customers, and make decisions. From automating routine tasks to enhancing customerexperiences, AI is revolutionizing the restaurant industry in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. More than you think.
Customers expect to browse menus, place orders, and pay for their meals with just a few taps of their phones. For restaurant operators, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge: how to implement an online ordering system that maximizes revenue while maintaining control over their customer relationships. billion in revenue.
There was a time when 70% of F&B employees didn’t receive training for customerservice. Without the right training, even the best menu or ambiance can fall short due to poor service, leading to dissatisfied customers and lost revenue. A well-structured restaurant training program will let you turn this around.
Understanding your target market is the foundation of making smart decisions for your menu, pricing, and overall guest experience. Key customer factors that influence dining preferences, from demographics to behavior. A restaurant target market is the specific group of customers your restaurant is designed to attract.
Thai District is a full-service Thai restaurant located in the Art District of Long Beach, California. Established 10 years ago by Andre Angles and his co-owner Ty Theara, the restaurant offers a unique dining experience in a historic two-story building with a cozy atmosphere. I didn’t really believe in it,” Andre recalls.
Does the energy feel flat, and the customers look bored. Get some fresh customers through the door and start the neighborhood talking about whats happening in your restaurant again. You need ideas that will wow new customers and get the regulars excited to come back in.
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.
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.
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. Create Limited-Time Offers That Drive Action Limited-time offers (LTOs) give potential customers a reason to order now, not later.
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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