EATER

OCTOBER 5, 2020

I’d eaten my fair share of “barbacoa” at Chipotle, where its shredded-beef burrito was my splurge order. But as we reckon with the complicated intersection of social and political structures behind food, we have an opportunity to demand a very different future for fast casual. I thought I did. But the stakes are now higher than ever.

Fast Casual 360

Fast Casual Casual Food Order 2018 360

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 11, 2022

In particular, supply chain disruptions and staffing shortages – whether due to resignations or illness – are forcing quick service and fast casual restaurants to adapt quickly to changing conditions. Increased Emphasis on Online Ordering. Former competitors are now part of the same umbrella company.

2022 520

2022 Marketing Fast Casual Mobile Ordering 520

ChowNow

MAY 9, 2025

When youre updating your online menu or online ordering system, its tempting to just copy over the dish names from your restaurant menu and call it a day. With a few simple techniques, you can write menu descriptions that sounds natural, highlight your best dishes, and help guests feel confident (and excited) about ordering.

Menu 195

Menu Dietary Restrictions Online Ordering Mobile Ordering 195

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 5, 2020

As consumers have come to rely on their cell phones in virtually every aspect of their lives, restaurants should consider letting guests order via mobile rather than at a counter. This can be done by making interactive menus available online or in an app. Contactless Ordering. Contactless Payments. Contactless Receipts.

Fast Casual 521

Fast Casual Online Ordering Cash Management Mobile Ordering 521

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

Businesses have been forced to pivot away from on-premises dining to offer on-line ordering and take-out services. Whether fine-dining or fast casual, great service now revolves around the customer experience you bring to every interaction. The people that answer the phone for takeout orders are now your frontline for customers.

Customer Experience 598

Customer Experience Customer Service Fast Casual Mobile Ordering 598

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 16, 2022

Reports show that 81 percent of fine dining establishments, 78 percent of family restaurants, and 77 percent of fast-casual spots added curbside pickup, pivoting away from dine-in services after March 2020. consumers being new to ordering meal delivery services (up from 47 percent in March 2021). meal delivery consumer spending.

Online Ordering 472

Online Ordering Management Management Point of Sale 472

ChowNow

MARCH 21, 2025

Climate & Seasonality: Does the weather impact what people order or when they dine out? Lifestyle Choices: Do they prefer fast, casual meals or long, social dining experiences? Online Ordering Behavior: Are they more likely to dine in, take out, or order for delivery? or How often do you order delivery?

Marketing 195

Marketing Social Media Email Marketing Loyalty Program 195

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

Today, customers rely on Google searches, online reviews, and social media to decide where to eat. People want convenience, transparency, and a connection to the brands they support, and that starts with how you market your restaurant online. A strong online presence means more visibility, more orders, and, ultimately, more revenue.

2025 195

2025 Marketing Email Marketing Operations 195

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 29, 2021

“We are seeing sign-on bonuses at fast food and fast casual locations, something never seen before in the industry. Some operators are willing to have you work today, get paid tomorrow in order to get people in place to handle their minimum requirements. 200 online orders a month with one to two people. .

Fast Casual 553

Fast Casual Hiring Online Ordering Front of House 553

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 16, 2025

Clear signals (verbal or non-verbal) between the kitchen, servers, and hosts help reduce wait times and missed orders. A Klaviyo survey highlights growing pressure to deliver value and consistency both in-person and online. Speed of Service This measures the time from order to delivery.

Front of House 251

Front of House Communication Back of House Fast Casual 251

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 28, 2024

For example, if you run a social media campaign or pay for online ordering integrations, all of these contribute to your overall marketing expenses. Imagine you own a café, and you’ve just run a campaign to boost your online ordering. You spent $800 on Facebook ads and in-store promotions over a month.

Loyalty Program 195

Loyalty Program Fast Casual Social Media Email Marketing 195

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 9, 2025

In cities like New York, you’ll find eateries that mirror the bistro’s casual sophistication, while Tokyo’s intimate wine bars reflect a similar ethos of warmth and simplicity. Similarly, the rise of casual fine dining echoes the bistro’s knack for blending refinement with accessibility.

Fine Dining 221

Fine Dining Influencer Dine-in Innovation 221

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 21, 2025

While these platforms do bring in orders, they also come with the price of high commission fees, loss of customer data, and a weaker connection between you and your guests. Its up to you to educate them on the impact and show them why ordering direct makes a difference. can be an eye-opener for customers.

Ordering 195

Ordering Email Marketing Online Ordering Social Media 195

ChowNow

JANUARY 23, 2025

Its significantly more cost-effective to keep your regulars walking through the door than it is to get a new customer every time you take an order. Customers earn rewards by meeting thresholds you define, whether its the number of orders or total dollars spent. All you have to do is keep them happy. And when you do?

2025 195

2025 Loyalty Program Operations Email Marketing 195

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 15, 2021

In this episode of The Main Course , host Barbara Castiglia talked with Alex Canter, CEO of Ordermark, which helps restaurants increase efficiency and grow profits by aggregating mobile orders across all of the major online-ordering services into a single dashboard and printer.

Front of House 493

Front of House Fast Casual Mobile Ordering Fine Dining 493

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 27, 2023

percent) than they do in casual restaurants (16.5 Takeout tips are down : Tips for online orders and delivery dipped slightly, falling from 8.83 In spite of earning the biggest in-house tips, bars were hit hardest on takeout, with the median online and delivery tip falling from almost 10 percent to 8.54 percent to 8.07

Fast Casual 493

Fast Casual Fine Dining Employee Relations Customer Service 493

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 15, 2022

Here are a few examples of tech-centered solutions to ease the ongoing labor crisis in restaurants by putting more functionality directly in the hands of customers: Digital Tableside Ordering to Support Service Staff. Enter digital tableside ordering. For fast-casual or QSR brands, digital tableside ordering is equally beneficial.

Technology 563

Technology Loyalty Program Fast Casual Email Marketing 563

ChowNow

MAY 23, 2025

Start by gathering two key data points for each menu item: Items Popularity: How often guests order it Contribution Margin: How much profit it brings in To do this, youll need to access your sales data and your food cost for each dish. These are the items that should lead your marketing, your online menu, and your limited-time offers.

Menu 195

Menu Seasonal Menu Point of Sale Online Ordering 195

EATER

MAY 28, 2025

Courtesy of Sabine Caf Rich Fox of Sabine in Seattle says leaning more casual has helped his bottom line A version of this post originally appeared on May 28, 2025, in Eater and Punchs newsletter Pre Shift , a biweekly newsletter for the industry pro that sources first-person accounts from the bar and restaurant world.

Seating 241

Seating Back of House 2025 Presentation 241

ChowNow

MAY 23, 2025

Restaurant type: Whether you run a fine dining, fast casual, or quick service concept plays a big role in potential margins. Keep them too low, and youre losing your net profit margin every time someone orders. Drive more direct orders Make it easy for customers to order straight from your website or mobile app.

Point of Sale 195

Point of Sale Insurance Fast Casual Customer Service 195

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 30, 2025

This has led to many perks for consumers, such as reduced wait times, contactless ordering, and more personalized offers and rewards. The market is influenced by evolving consumer lifestyles, the growth of digital ordering, and consumer demand for convenient and affordable dining. percent from 2025 to 2033 and reach US$ 345.6

Fast Casual 251

Fast Casual Food Point of Sale Mobile Ordering 251

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.

2021 490

2021 Coupons Loyalty Program Consumer Goods 490

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 1, 2020

Since most major QSR and fast casual concepts have already made significant investments in boosting their digital and off-premises offerings, many brands have the infrastructure in place to succeed but are looking for ways to keep up with the increase in demand. Because patrons are not able to dine out, call-ahead orders have increased.

Technology 472

Technology Healthcare Social Media Mobile Ordering 472

ChowNow

APRIL 11, 2025

Did you scroll through the online reviews first? Online reviews have become one of the most influential factors in how consumers choose where to eat, especially for independent restaurants. Whether someones deciding where to make a reservation or who gets their lunch order, what others say about you online carries real weight.

Online Ordering 195

Online Ordering Social Media Customer Service Customer Experience 195

7 Shifts

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

Fine dining establishments may require staff to have in-depth knowledge of each dish, including wine pairings and ingredient sourcing, while a fast-casual restaurant may focus on quick service and consistent food prep. Let’s say you run a fast-casual restaurant.

Training 195

Training Kitchen Safety Customer Service Food Safety 195

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 18, 2020

launched its COVID-19 online operator resource, the US Foods Restaurant Reopening Blueprint. The Restaurant Reopening Blueprint and accompanying webinars are available on the company’s “Make it Now” online platform, designed to provide operators resources and solutions to help them adapt to changing industry needs.

Front of House 520

Front of House Back of House Online Ordering Kitchen Safety 520

ChowNow

APRIL 25, 2025

In this article, you will learn: How to turn in-store and online ordering guests into email subscribers What incentives and touchpoints actually grow a valuable restaurant email list How to automate your email marketing so it works while you sleep Lets start with why email still matters in the age of algorithms.

Email Marketing 195

Email Marketing Marketing Loyalty Program Online Ordering 195

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.

2020 491

2020 Point of Sale Fast Casual Online Ordering 491

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 22, 2021

Online Ordering Will Continue to Thrive. Customers will continue to do so because they have grown to enjoy the process including selecting their favorite dishes peacefully online and using contactless payment systems while not having to stress over face masks and personal space disruption. After all, comfort comes first.

Allergens 520

Allergens Online Ordering Fast Casual Food Safety 520

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 10, 2020

A restaurant’s brand identity is the cumulative effect of what your guests see, taste, smell, feel and hear at your restaurant, online, and in the world at large. A restaurant’s brand identity is the cumulative effect of what your guests see, taste, smell, feel and hear at your restaurant, online, and in the world at large.

2020 555

2020 Uniforms Online Ordering Design 555

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 52

Fast Casual Casual Loyalty Program Online Ordering 52

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

We’re seeing massive disruption to front-of-house systems, too, delivering personalized guest experiences from order to payment to final delivery. One great thing about the online delivery market is that it produces massive amounts of data. Heloise Blaure, founder of HomeKitchenLand.com.

Mobile Ordering 539

Mobile Ordering Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 539

Modern Restaurant Management

OCTOBER 26, 2021

Of course, delivery also spiked, but the underlying thread between each of these dining preferences is the use of mobile for ordering and pick-up. In fact, according to a report by Bluedot , 86 percent of respondents surveyed said they have ordered directly from a restaurant app since the start of the pandemic.

Mobile Ordering 546

Mobile Ordering Download Customer Experience Fast Casual 546

Modern Restaurant Management

AUGUST 17, 2020

Thirty-nine percent of those in the US and 36 percent in the UK ordered more frequently from their local restaurant than before the crisis. "Throughout Ninety-five percent of Americans and 87 percent of those in the UK noted they often ordered take-out before stay-at-home orders began. Mixed take-out bag.

2020 493

2020 Mobile Ordering Loyalty Program Food Safety 493

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 27, 2022

Many restaurants toss a paper menu into every takeout order, but try posting a QR code near your register instead. Fast casual eateries that have seat-yourself service are perfect candidates for the QR code menu. Try an Online Form Builder. Check Your Website’s Hosting Software.

Online Ordering 508

Online Ordering Customer Service Fast Casual Recycling 508

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. With insights, a restaurant may notice that a customer often places an order on weeknights around 6 p.m. Making Personalization Central.

Customer Experience 433

Customer Experience Mobile Ordering Social Media Online Ordering 433

ChowNow

JANUARY 30, 2025

Within this guide, youll discover proven strategies that help you stand out in a crowded market, captivate your ideal customers, and turn casual diners into lifelong regulars. Restaurant branding is not easy, but when done correctly, the reward is a packed dining room every night with a steady stream of to-go orders out the side door.

Email Marketing 195

Email Marketing Mobile Ordering Customer Experience Online Ordering 195