Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 22, 2025

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.

Uniforms

ChowNow

JULY 25, 2025

Every restaurant owner should know their food cost percentage—it’s one of the clearest indicators of whether your restaurant is running effectively or if you’re missing opportunities to optimize your business. Use standard recipes, pre-portion key ingredients, and teach your kitchen staff how even small over-serves can add up over time.

Food

ChowNow

JANUARY 23, 2025

At this point, all it takes is one lousy dining experience to sever the connection you once had with a customer who potentially spent thousands of dollars at your restaurant every year. Meaning, that a small percentage of inputs or efforts often account for the majority of results or effects. All you have to do is keep them happy.

2025

ChowNow

JULY 18, 2025

Once you have your CLV, you can then use it to guide your marketing budget, set realistic revenue goals, and prioritize the guests who drive your business. That might be two years for a casual spot, or five years for a local favorite with strong customer loyalty.

Loyalty Program

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 18, 2024

So much data is generated at every point within a restaurant, whether fast casual or fine dining. The question now becomes – how to make sense of that data and use it to elevate the dining experience. The question now becomes – how to make sense of that data and use it to elevate the dining experience.

2025

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 24, 2024

These trends are driven by Millennial and Gen Z consumers, who are more willing to pay a premium for sustainable products; those consumers also tend to be more online and acutely aware of the impact of business practices on the lives of people and the future of the planet. But is B Corp certification something restaurants should pursue?

Certification

ChowNow

MAY 23, 2025

If your restaurant profit margins arent healthy, it doesnt matter how busy you areyoull always be playing catch-up. From food costs and labor expenses to inflation and unpredictable sales volume, operating a restaurant business comes with constant, non-negotiable bills. What Are Restaurant Profit Margins?

Point of Sale

EATER

FEBRUARY 18, 2025

Hotel: Not only places to bed down, hotels can refer to casual eateries for affordable, filling food. Saivar kade: Traditionally associated with vegetarian shops serving Tamil Sri Lankan fare dosas, idli, frothy milky tea the term saivar kade is now used more generally for small eateries serving affordable food.

Hotels

ChowNow

JULY 11, 2025

Good example: A fine dining restaurant using just five clearly defined sections—Small Plates, Mains, Sides, Desserts, and Beverages. Poor example: A fast-casual spot that breaks the menu into 12 categories—some redundant (“Wraps” and “Handhelds”), some confusing (“Buildables” instead of “Bowls”).

Menu

ChowNow

MARCH 27, 2025

Fast-casual spots usually dont have that luxury, so pricing needs to be tighter and more dialled in. Choosing the right menu pricing method is crucial for setting prices that align with your business goals and customer expectations. Small pricing tweaks can shape how guests perceive your value, even if the actual difference is minimal.

Pricing

SpotOn

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Fast casual restaurants are popping up faster than you can say "build your own grain bowl." " They're somewhere between a full-service casual dining restaurant and a quick-service restaurant or fast food chain. Looking for tips on starting your fast casual restaurant?

Fast Casual

The Rail

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Cloud kitchens, in particular, enable restaurants to lower setup and operational costs, making them an attractive business model. Are you serving fine dining patrons seeking a premium experience, casual diners looking for convenience, or a mix of both? This option is ideal for small restaurants looking for a quick setup.

Delivery

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 31, 2025

The research found that businesses worldwide – particularly restaurants – intend to experiment more in 2025, especially with customer retention programs like loyalty, as they face the triple challenge of sustained high inflation, shrinking consumer wallets and the need to raise prices across the board.

Marketing

ChowNow

AUGUST 1, 2025

But actually knowing how to use social media marketing to grow their business is where restaurant owners get stuck. Replying to comments, reacting to stories, and engaging through direct messages turns casual followers into regulars. It’s these small actions that create real relationships and get people talking about your restaurant.

Social Media

Modern Restaurant Management

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

Solo dining – a time dedicated to eating a meal alone at a sit-down restaurant – is an opportunity for diners to practice self care over a meal, whether that be by relaxing and reflecting at the end of a long day or even by engaging the mind with a book or catching up on the news. Just the “cover count.”

Customer Experience

Future Food

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

From the rise of AI to the increasing popularity of experiential dining, businesses are adapting creatively to meet new consumer demands. Hospitality businesses that were exposed to reduced consumer discretionary spending, higher operational costs and increased costs of servicing debt were most likely to be at risk.

Hospitality

ChowNow

APRIL 25, 2025

Every restaurant concept should be intentional about their branding, from food trucks and cafes to brunch spots and fine dininggreat branding is how your restaurant stands out and stays memorable. Are you casual and playful? Branding isnt just for big-name chains with deep pockets and multi-million-dollar ad campaigns.

Mobile Ordering

Lavu

MAY 30, 2025

In this article, well walk you through 7 easy steps to increase table turnover effectively, helping you boost your bottom line while maintaining a great dining experience. Whether you manage a busy caf or a full-service restaurant, these actionable tips can make a significant difference in your daily operations.

Seating

Lavu

MAY 9, 2025

Finding the best restaurant POS system isnt just about taking ordersits about unlocking smarter ways to run your business. Square : Affordable and flexible, with a free plan and easy-to-use tools for smaller businesses. Lightspeed : Excellent for complex menus and inventory management, ideal for fine dining or multi-location setups.

POS

Lavu

JULY 18, 2025

Whether you’re launching a fast-casual spot or a fine dining concept, a solid restaurant business plan is your foundation for success. In this guide, you’ll learn the key steps to build a business plan that not only impresses investors but also sets your restaurant up for long-term growth in a competitive market.

2025

Black Box Intelligence

JANUARY 22, 2025

How Casual Dining Icons Are Fighting to Stay Relevant Are Legacy Casual Dining Brands Declining with Age? Are legacy brands leading or lagging behind their Casual Dining peers? Additionally, we only compared them to other Casual Dining brands with at least 50 units. So, which is true?

Casual

Restaurant Engine

JULY 9, 2025

They may choose to dine out when they don’t want to cook, but they may also not want to dine in. Your Google Business Profile – Make sure it’s listed in your services. So, include small, thoughtful touches that enhance the overall customer experience. Make sure it looks as good as your dining room.

Loyalty Program

Web Diner

FEBRUARY 21, 2025

Let’s peek behind the curtain at the fascinating science of menu design and discover how small tweaks can transform your venue’s bottom line, especially when implemented by professional design experts who understand the psychology of profitable menu engineering. Their average check size rose 15% in two months. The best part?

Menu

Restaurant Clicks

APRIL 8, 2025

From big-city legends to small-town treasures, each offers something special. Slow-smoked over pure oak wood, the meats carry a robust smokiness, with a finely tuned balance of peppery seasoning and juicy tenderness. It’s a great stop for those who enjoy a more intimate dining experience.

Seasonal Menu

Lavu

MAY 23, 2025

In today’s fast-paced dining environment, even a few seconds of lag can create a ripple effect that impacts your entire service flow. All of these factors lead to longer lines, irritated customers, and a less efficient dining experience. In quick-service and fast-casual restaurants, 16% of orders result in customer complaints.

POS

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 4, 2025

Identifying Challenges and Uncovering Opportunities SpotOn unveiled its 2025 Restaurant Business Report , revealing the financial challenges restaurant operators face and the opportunities to strengthen their businesses. On a year-over-year basis, small business sales (+2.1 Independent operators feel the squeeze the most.

Delivery

Modern Restaurant Management

NOVEMBER 1, 2024

Restaurants Order Up Tech, AI, and Dynamic Pricing As far as technology goes, 26 percent of respondents said they’d like to start using new tech to help run their business, which is up seven percentage points from last year. Consumer searches for malls on Yelp decreased 13 percent year over year.

Point of Sale

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 14, 2025

With probably a two-week cash flow and a staff of roughly 15 to 20 people, these small, largely family-run businesses can’t possibly plan for this level of disruption. Do you anticipate it will affect fine dining over fast food? Fast casual players like Shake Shack have so far been outperforming the market.

Fast Casual

EATER

NOVEMBER 12, 2024

Scott Suchman This year, we found ourselves blissfully forgetting about the world outside the dining room, and settling into meals that felt exciting, confident, and joyful Dining out should be a lot of things — nourishing, thought-provoking, less than a week’s rent — but one that can be easy to forget about is fun.

Seasonal Menu

Black Box Intelligence

DECEMBER 18, 2024

Comp Traffic Best Region: New England Best Segment: Quick Service Best Cuisine: Chicken Worst Region: NY-NJ Worst Segment: Fine Dining Worst Cuisine: Sandwich November 2024 brought a surprising wave of strong performance for the restaurant industry. The industrys performance shows small but positive same-store sales growth.

2024

Paper Chase Accountancy

MAY 22, 2025

Looking back at the most recent recession, dining out dropped 8.8% Paperchase’s financial specialists in the restaurant and bar industry analyzed same store data across all restaurant sectors to detail the correlation between equity-market crashes and the food and beverage business.

Hospitality

Modern Restaurant Management

AUGUST 17, 2020

This edition of Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine's Research Roundup features consumers' dining desires, the power of personalization and the untapped opportunity in localized marketing. COVID-19 Consumer Dining Trends. Mixed take-out bag. Can't touch this.

2020

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

In my fiscal and strategic view, restaurant groupings of multiple locations and offerings using one accounting, HR, and legal system will continue to disrupt the industry, AND those single-location restaurant business models struggling to eke out a living. Of course, people will always dine out.

Mobile Ordering

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 18, 2021

When COVID-19 forced restaurant shutdowns more than a year ago, foodies sprung into action to help our favorite businesses survive what we thought would be a slow few weeks. The pandemic has changed the way we view the dining experience – with quality, safety and speed of delivery somewhat overshadowing ambience and in-person service.

Delivery

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 8, 2024

QSRs Shift Focus from Slow-Paced Dining to Swift, Transactional Experiences Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) are reimagining their dining spaces to prioritize speed, convenience, and personalization over traditional, slow-paced dining experiences. An issue that may arise from this in 2024 is data privacy.

2024

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 12, 2023

It’s January, which means restaurant operators and managers have been juggling busy holiday crowds for breakfast, lunch and dinner while also planning the employee party that typically occurs this month. Operators should try to personalize the evening for each employee. Make them feel special.

Transportation

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 7, 2021

We’ve been crayon pros for over 30 years, ever since we started partnering with the fast-growing casual dining restaurant chains of the 90s. Read on to learn more about crayons—the unsung heroes of casual dining. How do crayons save the day? Crayons Make Kids-and Parents-Happy.

Fast Casual