Culinary Cues

MARCH 15, 2021

Sure, I know how much the restaurant/foodservice industry is suffering and how many operations are shutting their doors as a result of avoiding decades of challenges brought to a head by the pandemic, but believe me when I say that this will change. Just as the restaurant industry evolves, so too must the industry of education.

Education 587

Education Food Supply Training Communication 587

Culinary Cues

MARCH 16, 2025

Restaurants didnt know how to react. Eventually we figured it out (to some degree) but in the process lost an enormous number of restaurants from 2020 2023. The cost of goods will rarely go down. Labor cost will continue to escalate and finding good employees will remain a problem whether we are in a crisis or not.

Food Supply 232

Food Supply Customer Service Delivery Recruiting 232

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

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 22, 2024

Nowadays, running a successful restaurant takes more than great food and good service. With 90% of diners checking a restaurant online before visiting, you also need a strong online presence to attract and boost reservations. Let’s explore 26 proven online marketing strategies to help your restaurant thrive.

Book 195

Book Marketing Email Marketing Social Media 195

Culinary Cues

JUNE 26, 2021

Over the past few decades, I have been asked to design a number of kitchens for restaurants and banquet spaces – a task that I thoroughly enjoy. Chefs” want to create kitchens that work, spaces that are designed to correct the numerous problems that were previously faced in poorly designed kitchens.

Design 446

Design Fine Dining Uniforms Waste 446

Culinary Cues

APRIL 23, 2022

The margins are very tight, in fact they are so tight that most business savvy people would wonder why anyone would ever want to own a restaurant. The buck seems to always stop with the chef; it’s the chef’s kitchen, the chef’s food cost, and the chef’s menu that drives marginal profit at best. First in, first out.

Food 448

Food Seasonal Menu Waste Point of Sale 448

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

It happens now and again, that question comes up on-line, usually from individuals new to a professional kitchen, or those who have little idea about how kitchens work. A CHEF IS (A baker’s dozen): [] The Role Model for the Kitchen. THE LAW: Look to the chef to see how the kitchen will act. It goes with the turf.

Restaurant Law 450

Restaurant Law Coaching Café Sourcing 450

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 8, 2021

We all knew that the restaurant industry was in need of a structural overhaul, we (those of us affiliated with the business) were well aware of the cogs in the chain, and the years of rust that had accumulated on systems and organization, but it took the pandemic of 2020/21 to shout out: THE TIME IS NOW! Such is the case in 2021.

2021 474

2021 Social Media Kitchen Safety Restaurant Law 474

Culinary Cues

MAY 13, 2023

Is it culinary school, working in well-known restaurants, finding an established chef to mentor them, or is it something else entirely? Remember that being “the chef” will take you away from much of the day-to-day cooking, the adrenaline rush, and the team excitement that drew you to the kitchen in the first place.

Hotels 505

Hotels Point of Sale Cash Management Training 505

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 5, 2022

Ghost kitchens have gained significant popularity in the past few years, especially during the pandemic and post-pandemic era. These platforms are gaining popularity among people who wish to dine with their families at home and still wish to enjoy the flavor and quality of restaurant food.

Online Ordering 491

Online Ordering Website Management Point of Sale Inventory 491

Culinary Cues

MARCH 10, 2022

I’m not sure who decided that this declaration be made, but for those of us in the restaurant business – it is so appropriate. I have long proclaimed that the dish washer was the most important position in the kitchen – even more important than the chef. How beautiful is a kitchen that sparkles? I rest my case.

Front of House 450

Front of House Back of House Uniforms Hiring 450

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 7, 2021

Identifying problems has never been a challenge in the restaurant industry – there are many. Let’s look for a moment at one of those problems (challenges) and apply these three steps: PROBLEM: The restaurant industry, universally, is having an impossible time trying to find competent, committed individuals to work in all positions.

Social Media 474

Social Media Cash Management Blog Equipment 474

Culinary Cues

MAY 8, 2023

It sounded like an appropriate title for an article about life in the kitchen. Kitchen work ages us even though to many it is a calling, something that we love (most of the time). When you work in a kitchen, you know what it means to be exhausted at the end of a shift – especially when it’s 12 hours or more in length.

Kitchen Safety 492

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Coaching Training 492

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

The tasks of the chef are fairly universal: planning menus, putting your signature on each dish, hiring and training staff, ordering product and building vendor relationships, controlling costs and adhering to budgets, maintaining a clean and safe kitchen environment, etc. The answer is emphatically – no.

Beverage 520

Beverage Events Food Order Website Management 520

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 31, 2020

Rest assured, at some point restaurants will rise up again, clubs and hotels will measure success based on occupancy and food service activity, and the position of “chef” will be center stage in driving sales and measuring profitability. This is how a team operates. [] INADEQUATE FOCUS ON COST. “My

Leadership 471

Leadership Point of Sale Training Coaching 471

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

Well-run organizations – in this case a kitchen, are built to win. Kitchens, like athletic teams, share in a common structure. Each day in a kitchen there are ample opportunities for a “win”. Success will not occur if the weight of success falls solely on one individual or even a part of the kitchen team.

Fine Dining 450

Fine Dining Coaching Dine-in Café 450

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 27, 2023

One of the dilemmas restaurateurs’ face is the approach taken with the management and delivery of a restaurant concept and menu. To make it simple, the restaurant can choose to be either chef centric or restaurant centric. In a restaurant centric operation, the standards are what defines the restaurant.

Hiring 449

Hiring Training Pricing Presentation 449

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

From my experience, it is difficult to experience a dinner for two in a moderate full-service, independent restaurant for less than $120 without gratuity. Those family-owned restaurants in your town are the lifeblood of the community. How, in this case with restaurants, do these operators find a way to financial success?

Pricing 415

Pricing Marketing Insurance Seasonal Menu 415

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 9, 2021

The goal of every restaurant and every chef is to create memorable experiences for the guest. If you recognize the farmer, the rancher, and the fisherman, then they might be so inclined to set aside those extra special ingredients for your kitchen. It is, and must be, a team effort. Does this seem farfetched?

Front of House 474

Front of House Customer Experience Dine-in Training 474

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

There is no issue more pressing, and no task more important than building a kitchen team and establishing a culture of retention. Every restaurant, of every level is finding it increasingly difficult to build a team with lasting power. Kitchens have a long reputation for harboring a culture where criticism is the common approach.

Loyalty Program 582

Loyalty Program Communication Training Coaching 582

Culinary Cues

JUNE 9, 2024

There is a deeper price to pay when looming issues like the labor shortage, rising costs of operation, an eroding passion for careers in the kitchen, and diminishing profits haunt our everyday operations. Being in the restaurant business is nuts and expecting to earn a profit seems impossible. Does it still matter?

Customer Experience 437

Customer Experience Café Customer Service Training 437

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 8, 2022

The open kitchen concept has become one of the biggest trends in the restaurant industry. When people walk into a restaurant, food transparency is what matters the most. An open kitchen makes the understanding of the whole food production process really simple. Pros of Open Kitchen. Cooking Skills Are Cool.

Kitchen Safety 415

Kitchen Safety Customer Experience Food Order Food Safety 415

Culinary Cues

MARCH 30, 2020

The restaurant industry has been plagued with problems for decades – this international crisis has brought everything to a head. This virus has demonstrated just how important restaurants are to people of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. Without restaurants – society just seems incomplete.

Small Business 457

Small Business Food Supply Food Truck Healthcare 457

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 19, 2022

These were the days when our home kitchens were filled with mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, children and even grandchildren. Those days in restaurants that were once recognized as a time to close and let traditions thrive are now some of the busiest business days of the year. Restaurant Consulting.

Hospitality 448

Hospitality Café 2022 Specials 448

Culinary Cues

APRIL 8, 2020

If you have been cooking at a professional level, if you have always been driven towards doing things right and have shunned mediocrity, and if you have approached your job in the kitchen with passion and commitment, then answering these questions can be straight forward. “I I have spent years in the kitchen and now I am without a job.

Communication 474

Communication Food Supply Customer Service Small Business 474

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 23, 2021

In the restaurant business there are really only two ways to view profit: a very small amount of profit balanced by very significant volume, or a significant amount of profit on far less volume. How you approach the design of your restaurant in this regard will determine nearly everything else. SP = $5.25 /.30. SP = $17.50.

Point of Sale 450

Point of Sale Front of House Back of House Customer Experience 450

Modern Restaurant Management

AUGUST 18, 2021

Choosing the right commercial kitchen equipment for your establishment is essential. With the right equipment, you can control unnecessary expenses, maintain health and safety regulations, and prevent mishaps in your kitchen. In this article, we discuss the following: What Equipment Does a Commercial Kitchen Need?

Equipment 450

Equipment Kitchen Safety Food Safety Certification 450

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

We all know the challenges facing restaurants right now – there is little benefit in reiterating the problems. What needs to be addressed is: “ How do we build trust among customers, trust that the restaurant will keep them safe, and how do we generate enough sales and in turn – profit, to keep the operation moving forward?

Kitchen Safety 432

Kitchen Safety Back of House Front of House Customer Experience 432

Culinary Cues

JULY 4, 2021

On top of this – restaurants are offering wages that were unheard of pre-pandemic and still employees are not inclined to return to kitchens and dining rooms. CHANGE #1: The days of the fixed menu for restaurants should come to a halt. The quick fix may just be a dramatic change in how we plan and present our menus.

2021 508

2021 Food Supply Seasonal Menu Supplies 508

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 22, 2022

Bigger brings a significant upswing in headaches, unforeseen challenges, an inability to flex, and long-term costs. The restaurants in this storyline boasted menus that changed nearly every day depending on what could be found in local open markets and from friendly farmers and those who raised livestock. Bigger isn’t always better.

Seating 474

Seating Front of House Back of House Cash Management 474

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 5, 2023

Maybe you picked up quickly on the restaurant menu and what was demanded of your station on the line, or as a second semester student you are feeling underchallenged and certain that you can handle anything. It shows you how the kitchen works and helps to qualify who the players are and what their roles might be. You want more!

Kitchen Safety 446

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Back of House Front of House 446

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 21, 2020

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic persists across the globe, governments have started easing lockdown restrictions and allowing restaurants to reopen finally. High-end restaurants that tend to have a pricier menu should look to add more affordable items. Rid yourself of the non-essentials, get back to the basics, and work smart.

Social Media 539

Social Media Food Safety Cash Management Customer Service 539

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 14, 2020

For additional resources, click COVID-19 Survival Guide for Restaurants and MRM Restaurant Survival Guide, Second Course and MRM Restaurant Survival Guide, Part Three and What’s Next?: MRM Restaurant Survival Guide Updates.

Online Ordering 530

Online Ordering Back of House Small Business Customer Service 530

Culinary Cues

MARCH 26, 2022

Are you thinking about owning a restaurant? You are not alone if the thought of putting your name on a restaurant awning has crossed your mind. One of the most tempting forays into entrepreneurship is the restaurant business. Instead, let’s look at some of the common reasons why restaurants fail (this is only a sampling).

Cash Management 462

Cash Management Social Media Restaurant Law Communication 462

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 4, 2020

What do chefs long for in a world where restaurants are closing left and right – even the most established ones? There is a bit of fear regarding what might be faced when stepping through that back kitchen door, yet at the same time there is always a twinge of excitement about the same.

2020 375

2020 Back of House Front of House Food Order 375

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 18, 2021

Physical menus are a trial to maintain: They need to show multiple day parts, they may not reflect what’s actually available in the kitchen, and they can be impossible to coordinate across more than a few locations. No other artifact in your restaurant is more capable of setting the tone or telling your story. In your world?

Back of House 474

Back of House Seasonal Menu Customer Experience Fast Casual 474

7 Shifts

JULY 24, 2020

While you must follow the strict guidelines to ensure the safety of your staff and customers, that’s not to say you can’t take advantage of an empty restaurant to improve your knowledge of restaurant management, running a business, and creating a recipe for success when you eventually get back to business as usual. Published: 2017 ??

Book 370

Book Management Management Restaurant Law 370