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The restaurant experience was once solely comprised of human-to-human, in-person experiences. In 2022, with the introduction of ChatGPT, we saw restaurants – and just about everyother industry – look for ways to incorporate artificial intelligence within their customer operations.
Rising restaurant prices and increased cost-of-living expenses are significantly altering dining out habits in both the US and UK, according to a new survey from Attest. Reduced Disposable Income : Consumers have less money for dining out, leading to fewer overall visits. Fast food and casual dining are currently seeing higher traffic.
At the same time, a rise in fast-food prices driven by inflation is reshaping consumer behavior, with many customers now treating fast food as a splurge rather than a convenience. The future of dining will center on creating smarter, simpler, and more personal experiences for customers.
A recent eBook by Softarex Technologies highlights all the main aspects of AI usage in restaurant operations, from customer service to back-of-house management. This transformation is not just about automation; it's about creating smarter, more efficient, and more personalized diningexperiences.
They will be "O-ranging" kindness in Cleveland as part of an effort to encourage restaurant servers and customers to highlight the acts of kindness of one another and those around them. On the flip side, diners and customers show servers acts of kindness by being polite, understanding, and gracious." " Laurie L.
This shift is fueled by more adventurous young palates and a desire for children's diningexperiences to reflect the culinary sophistication enjoyed by adults. BRIO Italian Grille offers a kids' menu for ages 12 and under, featuring entrées such as Chicken Parmesan and Lasagna.
“This enduring customer loyalty drives the restaurant industry forward, creating clear opportunities for restaurants to enhance the diningexperience through strategic limited time offers, efficient delivery and exceptional in-person service," said Samir Zabaneh, CEO of TouchBistro.
A standout menu is no longer just a necessity — it’s a critical asset for success. One of our most effective methods for creating a deeper connection beyond a transaction is through storytelling, using local flavors and regional influences in our menu.
Just like a well-crafted mission statement will help guide your business decisions, identifying and understanding your target customers and competitors through restaurant market research will give your business a competitive edge. You can identify potential gaps in the local dining landscape and create unique value propositions.
When hiring restaurant managers, qualities like organization skills, experience and leadership are always at top of mind. From sudden menu changes to staff shortages, the ability to switch up and change at a moment’s notice and due so calmly is invaluable. So, focus on these attributes.
We’ve seen firsthand how social media generates buzz—especially when our famous customers get involved. By regularly sharing and reposting moments like these with high-quality photos, engaging stories, and thoughtful responses to comments, we keep our audience excited about the Health Nut experience.
Revenue Management Solutions’ (RMS) Q3 survey revealed that 36 percent of respondents said they plan to dine out less, and a higher percentage reported a decline in dining out across all restaurant segments. Recurring customers. Promotions and discounts attract customers, but they’re often short-lived.
With 59 percent of customers hanging up after calling in and waiting for a minute or less, according to Linga, restaurants are missing out on a lot of business. The average restaurant operating a sit-down diningexperience can miss 15-30 percent of incoming calls on average, with that number possibly being even higher during busy hours.
Gen Z is redefining dining, seeing your restaurant as an extension of their identity. They appreciate brands that engage with them online and offer seamless digital experiences – both online and in-store. Are there specific menu items or categories that are proving to be popular and others that have fallen out of favor?
As the restaurant industry moves into 2025, design is taking center stage as a key driver of guest experience, operational efficiency and brand storytelling. Design is more than aesthetics, it’s a strategic tool for enhancing guest experience, driving operational success and telling your brand’s story in an ever-competitive space.
Improve Seasonal Menu Offerings When it comes to the holidays, consumers love to tuck into festive favorites. It’s the perfect season for experimenting with new menu items that align with previous seasonal trends.
In the dynamic and ever-evolving restaurant industry, culinary experiences are shaping customer preferences. After all, this business is all about people with customers at the forefront of decisions being made. So how do you thrive in a customer-driven competitive market? The industry is projected to reach $1.2
Jessica Huang, CEO & Founder of Restaurant Marketing, understands what many restaurants are doing wrong in their efforts and how they're missing opportunities to attract and retain customers. By focusing on these areas, restaurants can enhance their marketing efforts, improve customer satisfaction, and streamline their operations.
They must also focus on creating memorable experiences for customers at every touchpoint. 60% of guests who have a positive experience are likely to dine at a restaurant more frequently. Food quality Food quality plays a big role in your customer’s experience. Presentation also matters.
In California, annual fees for a liquor license can also reach up to $1M, depending on factors like operating hours, customer policies, and whether the establishment offers on-site brewing. This trend highlights a shift in consumer behavior, with dining places increasingly seeking unique experiences rather than just a meal.
What can you expect to see on menus in 2025? From salted egg yolks and chili crunch fusions to mushroom-infused teas and freeze-dried fruit powder garnishes, Kimpton’s in-house experts share the standout ingredients, menu items and techniques that will come to the table in 2025.
Faced with rising labor costs and increasingly price-sensitive customers, restaurant brands are exploring new ways to balance profitability with consumer expectations. Recent experiments with pricing strategies, such as summer value promotions, yielded lukewarm results, leaving operators questioning the best approach to menu pricing.
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.”
You can have a crowd-pleasing menu, loyal regulars, and a packed dining roomand still watch your margins disappear. Too many restaurant menus are built on intuition and aesthetics, not real numbers. What Is Menu Engineering and Why Should You Care? Because not every dish thats popular is profitable.
Just as a chef elevates a signature dish with bold, unique flavors that please the senses, the right glassware can enhance the presentation of drinks and food, creating a visually engaging experience for customers. High-end wine glasses that enhance the drinking experience are filling a market gap left post-COVID.
It is atop the list for restaurants looking to modernize, differentiate, and elevate experiences. So much data is generated at every point within a restaurant, whether fast casual or fine dining. Foot traffic or heat mapping, menu item engagement, or consumer demographics by time of day. Data, Data, Data.
With so many people leaving the industry, restaurants stepped up—raising wages, creating new opportunities, and doubling down on the employee experience. Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine asked restaurant industry experts for their views on what trends and challenges owners and operators can expect to see in 2025.
Great restaurants provide great experiences, and great restauranteurs unfortunately spend many of the hours in each week doing activities that could (and should) be automated, rather than being able to use those hours focusing on what makes their concept or business exceptional. Think about your morning routine.
Many restaurant operators have misconceptions about average order volume (AOV) and how it works, making statements like: I need more customers to make more money. In fact, boosting AOV is one of the easiest and most effective ways to increase revenue while improving the customerexperience for your guests.
You take your seat at a table embedded with a touchscreen menu. Tipsy is a real robotic bartender at the Miracle Mile Shops in Las Vegas, mixing drinks for customers as we speak. And with robots like Tao greeting customers at the door, even front-of-house roles might be at risk. Need a drink? Even kitchens are evolving.
Make the tomato an experience. Youre a chef, dont take the easy route of buying pre-cooked cold cuts for your meat roast, smoke or braise your own; make it your signature and let the customer see the product being sliced in front of them. Leave your customers speechless and your employees beaming with pride.
Pizza restaurants are poised to continue their evolution this year and incremental changes, especially in the areas of artificial intelligence, operational efficiency and customer preferences, will create both challenges and opportunities for pizzeria owners. This not only frees up labor but also reduces order errors.
Tableside caviar service A prosciutto cart An authentic kaiseki tasting experience and members-only Japanese whiskey lounge Tableside s’mores These are just a few examples of ways restaurants across the country are hoping to attract guest by elevating the diningexperience and creating a vibe highlighted by superior food and presentation.
Diners are looking for a better overall experience, from streamlined ordering to more inviting restaurant environments. At the same time, 21 percent say they’ve increased their budgets in 2025 – showing that while some are pulling back, others still see dining out as a worthwhile indulgence.
Menu pricing isnt just about covering costsits about finding that sweet spot where profitability, customer perception, and operational reality meet. Too high, and youll drive customers away. Most operators aim for food costs to be around 28-35% of the menu price, though this can change from restaurant to restaurant.
With social media shaping trends, culture and commerce around the clock, younger generations are increasingly using these platforms to discover new diningexperiences. Now is the time for restaurant brands to ask: Are we merging human insight with technology to craft meaningful customer journeys?
This represents a larger increase than those increasing visits to fast-casual (14 percent) or full-service (11 percent) restaurants and is on par with those visiting QSRs more frequently (24 percent) ( RMS Q1 2025 Dining report ). That means restaurants are losing more than just the occasional diner; they're losing their core customers.
A customer in Miami should bite into the same perfectly seasoned burger that delights diners in Seattle. Reliable experiences build brand loyalty, and systemic processes lead to reliable profit margins. It’s no secret that restaurants with more than one location depend on standardization to thrive.
No longer are customers relying solely on traditional keyword-based searches for terms like “restaurant near me”; instead, they’re using natural, conversational language to find exactly what they want. Customers often browse Instagram for aesthetic appeal and real-time updates before deciding where to dine.
Today, Google reviews have become a massive deciding factor for customers, who are now more likely than ever to leave their own feedback.But here’s the twist: a good star rating isn’t enough anymore. In many cities, restaurants need thousands of reviews to even be considered by customers. Here’s how: 1.
Are people dining out more or less? The findings tell a story of shifting behaviors, digital transformation, and a new definition of value in dining. The findings tell a story of shifting behaviors, digital transformation, and a new definition of value in dining. What’s driving their choices? The reason?
It can make customerexperiences more consistent and predictable, minimize human error, and reduce operating costs. Furthermore, the value of bolstering customer service without having to hire additional staff makes this a cost-efficient, enticing option for restaurants of all shapes and sizes.
This ideally reinforces the connection in the customer’s brain between their everyday choices and the resulting impacts on the environment: “You’ve saved so many gallons of water, you’ve saved so many square meters of land and emissions and energy,” as Goldman says. Congratulations. The environmental mission can come later.
For restaurant operators, these challenges underscore the importance of thoughtful decisions that boost efficiency and drive customer retention. For restaurant operators, these challenges underscore the importance of thoughtful decisions that boost efficiency and drive customer retention.
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