Remove Casual Remove Merchandise Remove Social Media
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Merch with a Mission: Creating Brand Ambassadors

Modern Restaurant Management

"Merchandise is more than just a revenue stream — it’s a way to deepen the connection with your customers and expand your brand’s reach." Merchandise became a natural extension of this vision, offering customers a way to carry the brand with them and become ambassadors for the experience.

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‘Cookie-Cutter Marketing Doesn’t Work in this Industry.’

Modern Restaurant Management

Recognizing that social media could be a powerful tool for the hospitality industry, Kim Beechner founded Embark Marketing in her senior year of college. I founded Embark Marketing during my senior year of undergrad, right as social media marketing was becoming a powerful tool for businesses. And I love that.

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MRM Research Roundup: Delivery Fraud, the Playground Effect, and Top 100 Places to Eat

Modern Restaurant Management

Casual dining is on the rise, with spots like Chellas Arepa Kitchen (#5) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Cardelli's Italian Market Deli (#45) in Riverside, California offering budget-friendly options. Cocktails remain a driving force in fine dining and polished casual venues, reinforcing their broad appeal across different segments.

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MRM Research Roundup: Diner Resiliency, Automation Technology, and Egg Prices

Modern Restaurant Management

With all their plans to dine out and order delivery and take out, here are some factors that influence Gen Z: While eating out is typically a social activity, this year saw a notable increase in solo dining with 49 percent of Gen Z dining alone weekly or more often. 67 percent of Gen Z have used social media to decide on a restaurant.

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MRM Research Roundup: To-Go Trends, State of the Plate, and Black Market Reservations

Modern Restaurant Management

Within QSRs, fast-casual restaurants led the way, growing transactions by 2 percent in March. State of the Plate Olive Garden is the most popular casual dining restaurant with Americans in 2025, with 19 percent having dined at the Italian-themed restaurant in the past 90 days, according to a new report from YouGov.

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MRM Research Roundup: Cautious Optimism, Beyond the Burn, and the Taylor Swift Economy

Modern Restaurant Management

Out of 25 brands, 17 are QSR or casual dining restaurants, marking a significant shift in why people are primarily visiting malls – to eat. Casual dining remains the most popular category, with 62 percent of Americans frequenting casual restaurants like Applebee’s or Olive Garden. What Drives Americans to Dine Out?

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Social Media for Restaurants: 20 Effective Strategies To Boost Your Social Presence Online

7 Shifts

With over 5 billion people using social media globally, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok have become necessary tools for businesses to reach customers. From introducing your restaurant to fulfilling orders, you can use social media to drive more traffic to your establishment, in-person and digitally.