Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

based architecture and design firm / /3877, newly-available real estate offers prime locations and cheaper rent for fast casual restaurants such as taco shops and upscale burger joints. This has led to a growing appeal for unique dining experiences and fast-casual concepts. According to the hospitality experts at Washington D.C.-based

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Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 18, 2022

If you’re involved in any aspect of the Fast Casual category, you don’t need me to tell you that labor and distribution issues are real. The pre-pandemic fast-casual “chicken war” and the pandemic race to add chicken wings to menus, are good examples of putting many eggs in one basket.

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Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 18, 2025

Let’s look at the reasons that full service/fast casual restaurants may have music issues. Music Considerations An acoustic designer can analyze your space, determine the best placement for speakers and recommend the proper equipment. Either way, it’s a win. Before anyone realizes it, the day is over.

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Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

Whether fine-dining or fast casual, great service now revolves around the customer experience you bring to every interaction. Brands that were positioned with the right technology, such as pizza delivery and other fast and casual outlets have thrived during the pandemic.

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Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 30, 2023

This migration could be a goldmine for casual/fast food brands if only they had the people to support them. All this happens when restaurant teams connect their building and kitchen equipment (HVAC, ovens, dishwashers, fryers, refrigerators, freezers, etc.) and control and monitor them in real-time from the cloud.

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Technology Fast Casual Waste 2023 474

ChowNow

MAY 23, 2025

It factors in all your operating expenses, like labor, rent, insurance, equipment repairs, marketing, and more. Good profit margins are what allow you to reinvest in your team, upgrade equipment, expand your menu, or just take a breath between shifts. This gives you a sense of how effective your menu pricing is.

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Point of Sale Insurance Fast Casual Customer Service 195

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 18, 2025

For high-volume restaurants, whether it's a fast-casual spot in New York or a Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris, automation isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about stability. A well-run kitchen means fewer mistakes, less staff burnout, and better guest experiences.

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Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 15, 2022

For fast-casual or QSR brands, digital tableside ordering is equally beneficial. One example of a restaurant chain leveraging similar tableside technology is the growing chef-driven Mexican fast-casual concept, Tocaya. It relieves cashiers and reduces long lines. Digital Ordering to Eliminate Friction Points for Cashiers.

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Modern Restaurant Management

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

By investing in a single POS system – equipped to manage operations in both the back and front of house while handling payments processing – restaurants take the first step toward optimizing their overall restaurant operations, and as a result, can provide a better dining experience for every customer (regardless of party size!).

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Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 30, 2024

At the same time, QSRs and fast casual establishments are turning to technology to improve operations and customer interactions as they continue to increase output. Take fast casual and drive-thru for example. For fast casual and QSRs, is your menu up to date? Technology is one way to make this happen.

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Modern Restaurant Management

NOVEMBER 29, 2019

This might mean weaving elements of fast-casual dining into your design. Equipment Upgrades. The Windstream study found that lacking resources for technology equipment upgrades is the top challenge restaurants are facing in dealing with digital demands. Renovation is becoming a common theme in the restaurant industry.

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Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 31, 2020

No doubt, while several restaurant chains in the quick service space (QSRs) have seen double-digit, same-store sales growth, COVID-19 has provided an additional untimely blow to the casual dining space that cannot transition as nimbly to a takeout-only model. providing and requiring PPE; taking reservations only for seating).

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Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 18, 2024

So much data is generated at every point within a restaurant, whether fast casual or fine dining. – Sarah Moore, CMO of Cracker Barrel Chef Driven Fast Casual Chef driven fast casual restaurants feed consumers’ desires for high quality menu items delivered quickly and on the go and will continue to gain momentum.

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Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 10, 2024

Consider a large Mexican fast-casual chain that implemented a tuition coverage program for employees pursuing degrees in fields like agriculture, culinary arts, and hospitality. They want education that fits into their busy lives and equips them with transferable skills that they can apply in their roles.

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Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 5, 2021

Casual Dining velocity has grown by 158 percent over the same period, suggesting many of the Casual Dining business models were able to maintain sales to some degree through pandemic restrictions. In fact, 30 percent of recent casual dining visitors think there is an opportunity to improve the quality of the beverage offer.

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7 Shifts

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

Back-of-house (BOH) staff, including chefs and kitchen assistants, will focus more on food safety, food handling, and kitchen equipment use. Let’s say you run a fast-casual restaurant. Our program includes resources for creating a job post, evaluating candidates, and equipping new hires with the skills they need for their roles.

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Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 10, 2020

More than ever, brands, especially QSR and Fast Casual restaurants brands, are taking advantage of the vast and varied platforms available for consumer engagement; most notably social media. Instead, equipped with intelligence, restaurants can successfully send offers and messages at the right time, to the right audience.

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7 Shifts

AUGUST 18, 2024

Not only do you have to manage many costs including, labor, equipment, and food—but you have to do it while dealing with inevitable price increases. In this guide we won't worry too much about the differences, but in general: A restaurant cost is a one-time expenditure on a material resource like food, liquor, dishes or kitchen equipment.

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Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 9, 2025

Joe Gale has more than 30 years of sales, operations and account management experience, including 20 years with Coca-Cola North America Foodservice where he worked closely with numerous QSR and fast casual brands.

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Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

percent) than they do in casual restaurants (16.5 Tipping on fast casual is going strong : In spite of the “tipflation” backlash, diners haven’t stopped tipping in fast casual restaurants, though the median tip size is still hovering under 9 percent—well below the 17.32 percent at fast casual restaurants.

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Modern Restaurant Management

NOVEMBER 8, 2021

Now, two years into the pandemic and with things returning to some form of normal, contactless payments and ordering continue to be an integral way of doing business for restaurants ranging from cozy neighborhood mom-and-pop lunch spots to fast casual behemoths with locations around the world. So, why is that?

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Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 9, 2025

And for more casual outdoor setups – think outdoor bars, beer gardens, or counter-service patios – QR code ordering is a no-brainer. Fewer mistakes, faster ticket times, and higher check averages. That’s more revenue with less labor, and for restaurants operating on slim margins that’s essential.

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Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 6, 2019

Processes, equipment, menus, and products are always changing. In the restaurant industry, several food safety and operational issues are consistent issues across restaurants, no matter if they are fine dining, casual dining, fast casual, or quick service restaurants. Staff training – Is equipment being cleaned properly?

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Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 23, 2022

Restaurant managers can now detect and avoid equipment failures before they happen. Robotics – A recent BostInno article included this video of Alfred the Robot making salads at BONAPITA, a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant in West Roxbury, MA. “running low on bread”) and even COVID-19 safety checks.

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Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 16, 2020

“The challenge – and opportunity – for those in the Casual/Midscale category is to be more nimble so that they can also pivot quickly in response to changing circumstances. Having real-time data about how consumers are engaging with their ads can help them do that.”

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Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 15, 2023

QSRs, coffee shops, fast-casual restaurants, and full-service establishments all have one more opportunity to win over new diners and achieve record revenues. Synchronize the use of HVAC and other power-hungry equipment to minimize peak demand charges, which can comprise up to 50% of an electricity bill. percent more than in 2022.

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Equipment Customer Experience Customer Service 2023 294

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 16, 2025

These breakdowns often show up in key service metrics like wait time and service time, especially in fast-casual settings. In one report, more than 60 percent of restaurant leaders rated their order accuracy as “mediocre” or “weak”, which is a sign that internal miscommunication and process gaps are still common.

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Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 30, 2024

QSR and fast-casual franchises continue to drive the expansion of the franchising sector. Despite ongoing economic challenges, QSRs remain on a steady path of growth.

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The Rail

MARCH 31, 2025

Consistent Equipment Across Locations : Using standardized equipment across all locations, such as commercial deep fryers , ensures consistency in food preparation and quality. Standardized Training Programs: Newbies get uniform training with digital training tools across multiple locations.

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Technology Management Management Operations 130

Harbor Touch

FEBRUARY 15, 2018

List of the Top 10 Must-Have Kitchen Equipment for Restaurants. With so many different things to keep track of, it can be easy to forget kitchen equipment and appliances that are essential to operating your business. Refrigeration Equipment. Opening a brand new restaurant can be confusing and stressful. Commercial Grills.

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Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 27, 2022

"Like so many industries, full-service and fast-casual restaurants are feeling the impact that inflation is having on their business and guest count. These regulations vary by state and restaurant owners should be sure they are aware of their state’s policy before adding service fees to customer tickets.”

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2022 Customer Service Fast Casual Food Safety 450

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 18, 2021

Honeygrow, the Philadelphia-based fast casual restaurant, for instance, engages customers only through image-rich digital kiosks, collapsing menu, ordering, and check-out into a single experience. A digital menu tied into back-of-house systems will inform a restaurant operator about what can be made, based on available equipment and labor.

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Back of House Seasonal Menu Customer Experience Fast Casual 474

The Rail

MAY 12, 2025

To avoid costly damage, your kitchen equipment, bar fixtures, storage units, and decor pieces require careful handling. This is where hiring professional restaurant equipment movers becomes crucial. Is your restaurant casual and quirky? Elegant and upscale? Family-focused or foodie-forward?

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License Uniforms Social Media Customer Experience 130

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 15, 2021

“Pretty much every restaurant from fine dining to fast-casual to QSR has figured out a digital strategy, a delivery strategy, and has had to get really creative to make it to this point,” Canter said. The shift was expected to happen over the next ten years, but COVID-19 accelerated that shift in just a few short months.

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Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 15, 2020

Limited-service restaurants (those in quick service and fast casual) had a sharp acceleration in their guest check growth, as consumers likely shifted to larger off-premise orders to feed multiple people at home. Fine dining and upscale casual were the worst performing segments during March based on same-store sales growth.

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Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

In essence, this shift should lead restaurants to embrace the idea of maintaining a truly “intelligent” smart kitchen, one that will be tech-equipped to continue evolving with consumer demands. In the short term, it’s QSR that will experience labor improvement, then fast-casual. Suzannah Gerber of Haven Foods.

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Mobile Ordering Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 539

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 26, 2023

Other supply chain related events, which spanned from restaurant equipment (creating issues for restaurant development and timing) to the Avian flu/eggflation issues, also negatively impacted the industry. Unfortunately, last year took a turn for the worse; the momentum from 2021 was stunted as we embarked on 2022.

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