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Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine reached out for a a deeper dive into Ashcraft’s franchising journey, learning why she feels it’s important to be present in her shop every day. I thought the mixture of customer service, catering, and serving up great food would fit me and my family well, so I decided to move forward.
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 dining experiences.
As digital transactions become ubiquitous, businesses across all sectors are embracing innovations that reshape the way they interact with customers. 2025 presents a unique opportunity for the restaurant industry to fully embrace payment technologies that have previously remained on the periphery.
In March, businesses were forced to take a step back and look at their business model to ensure that they were addressing their customer’s health, hygiene and safety concerns. So, what can brands do to address the impacts of COVID-19, while being mindful of the past, present and future of customerexperience?
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.
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. Knowing these customerexperience factors can help you create a positive and welcoming environment that will keep guests coming back for more.
With nearly every organization today adopting digital transformation strategies, many companies are focusing on providing more digital solutions to customers. This can present serious issues for a business. Why Is Humanization So Important to a User’s Experience? Sure, people are busy and always on the go.
Whether the business has just staffed up for the holidays or experiences their busy period at a different time of the year, investing in seasonal talent is a crucial part of labor strategy year-round. Perhaps the most important factor in attracting strong seasonal talent is creating a positive employee experience.
With social media shaping trends, culture and commerce around the clock, younger generations are increasingly using these platforms to discover new dining experiences. Now is the time for restaurant brands to ask: Are we merging human insight with technology to craft meaningful customer journeys? Benihana exemplifies this approach.
The restaurant experience has quickly become a digital landscape. While a boon for both restauranteurs and customers in the name of increased sales, greater convenience, and streamlined payment processes, these cashless payment systems add new vulnerabilities to already often-targeted point-of-sale systems.
Most customers don't think twice about leaving a few dollars on the table or selecting a percentage on a tablet. Tipping in Europe was born in the middle ages, a master-serf custom where servants would receive an extra gratuity for excellent performance. Customers denounce “tipping screens” on social media, saying that it's too much.
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 dining experience and creating a vibe highlighted by superior food and presentation.
“Through expansive experiences that inspire our guests paired with the ambiance of the space and the food on the plate, we’re setting new standards for the industry and creating truly spectacular moments for all who enter our restaurants and bars.”
With so many people leaving the industry, restaurants stepped up—raising wages, creating new opportunities, and doubling down on the employee experience. Similarly, AI-driven thermostats will optimize indoor climates, enhancing the comfort of both staff and customers while balancing energy usage.
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.
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. Professional garment design achieves this balance by carefully considering operational requirements and visual presentation.
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.
Diners are looking for a better overall experience, from streamlined ordering to more inviting restaurant environments. This reinforces that consumers increasingly value the customization, control, and frictionless experience kiosks provide, and are actively seeking them out as part of their ideal ordering journey.
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.
Providing a seamless, enjoyable restaurant experience is essential for long-term success. Heres how to craft an experience that leaves customers delighted and eager to return. Staff should be knowledgeable, offering helpful suggestions based on customer preferences and dietary needs.
Today’s consumers are on the hunt for bold and unique flavor combinations that enhance their seasonal experiences. This shift in preferences presents in-store bakeries with a prime opportunity to refresh their offerings and boost seasonal sales through various channels.
With the increased need for technology, every business will need to continue to invest in and look for opportunities to incorporate e-commerce and online events into their business model, making sure their customers are directly in mind. What will things look like moving forward?
But one thing I’ve learned is that every challenge presents an opportunity to improve. When introducing new restaurant software technology and launching the company’s first private dining program, I focused on ensuring that these changes improved the guest experience without disrupting day-to-day operations.
The experience agency, who designed new restaurant prototypes for clients such as Burger King, Panda Express and Panera Bread, surveyed consumers to gain a better understanding of the current customer journey and what guests value most about the restaurant experience, particularly at casual dining and fast casual restaurants.
At present, the restaurant employs more than two dozen nonnas hailing from Italy, France, Ecuador, Bangladesh, and Syria, among other locales. I dont consider it a spoiler to say the film ends with a happily ever after: Just when Joe considers the whole experiment a bust, the restaurant finally gets a favorable review.
“Now, you will be able to come inside of any of our four locations and get your food fresh to order with great flavor, amazing taste and superior customer service.” We also pay close attention to the food left behind on the plate when a customer leaves. It’s important to pay attention to what customers want.
These conditions present an evolving challenge for restaurants when it comes to providing a safe dining experience for customers and employees, especially when it’s often unknown whether patrons are vaccinated or not. You can also work with a digital consultancy to build a customized app.
With big-box retailers closing up shop, more than 140 million square feet of desirable retail space has become available, presenting the opportunity for restaurants such as fast-casual concepts to expand their businesses. Repurposed spaces offer three key advantages for a fast-casual brand: cost, time, and customers.
Successful chains like Chipotle and Shake Shack and high-growth brands like Cava are leaning into the fact that value isn’t just about price—it’s the perception of value, which includes portion size, quality, customization and convenience. FCRs thrive on these aspects. 2025 is poised to be the year of FCRs.
However, with prices rising, customers are choosier about where they spend their money. This has led to a growing appeal for unique dining experiences and fast-casual concepts. While this shift isnt entirely new, it has gained momentum post-pandemic as consumers place greater value on the overall dining experience.
It’s easy for restaurant experiences to be impersonal and ordinary right now, with face masks and takeout containers dictating the nature of dining. Upgrade Your Takeout Experience. Upgrade Your Takeout Experience. The area of restaurant operation that presents the most opportunity for improvement is takeout and delivery.
This is not the normal amount of angst that has been present for decades fickle customer tastes, rising cost of goods, changing demographics, or escalating rents; there are far deeper concerns that make everyone scratch their heads in wonder. Is the experience in jeopardy? There are problems, right now, without answers.
The year 2024 promises a journey of adaptation and fierce competition for the restaurant industry as it manages stronger-than-expected economic data and slowing inflation while dealing with the headwinds of short labor supply, more demanding customers and an uncertain political environment. The key lesson both establishments teach?
Differences in manpower, brand recognition, technology and marketing budgets have all presented significant challenges for single location restaurants to compete for market share. Maximizing this opportunity for free marketing is key to developing deep relationships with customers and building customer loyalty. Marketing.
Even as restaurants reopen to some on-premise dining, takeout presents distinct advantages: Takeout can help make up for those “missing tables” resulting from social distancing requirements, even as it requires less of a restaurant’s biggest expense item: labor. Delight Your Customers. Deliver a Great Experience.
Rather than viewing guest complaints as obstacles, savvy restaurateurs recognize them as opportunities to foster long-term customer loyalty. Instead of engaging in debates, successful establishments prioritize understanding the customer's concerns and addressing them with focused attention.
Restaurants receive huge amounts of feedback from customers — in survey responses, via social media, on review sites, and more. Some restaurant owners have forced their customers to deliver their feedback using radio buttons or check box questions. But these miss the richness of customer feedback.
Rethinking Beverages The typical drink upsell—soft drinks and coffee or tea—has decreased over the past few years as customers increasingly eat restaurant food at home. Delivery users are less price-sensitive than customers using other sales channels. What’s on the Menu?
Restaurant owners are looking for creative ways to revamp the indoor dining experience with improved health and safety standards. Restaurant owners can use these helpful tips to promote key health and safety standards in order to regain trust and improve the overall customerexperience: Improve Air, Hand and Surface Hygiene.
Digital not only powers seamless experiences but also unlocks guest data that can elevate hospitality across all touchpoints, both digital and in-person. The customer's needs always come first, even though my prices continue to rise. That's why we instituted lower-priced lunch specials and made other adjustments.
Customers are going to be hesitant to dine indoors. By providing a safe, pleasant and healthy indoor dining experience, and promoting and marketing it to your new and past customers, restaurants can help to hasten the return of customers and keep everyone safe. An app-first experience for restaurant chains.
Customers expect to browse menus, place orders, and pay for their meals with just a few taps of their phones. For restaurant operators, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge: how to implement an online ordering system that maximizes revenue while maintaining control over their customer relationships.
Crafting festive drinks is a great way to engage customers and set the mood for Halloween celebrations. Garnish it with fresh blackberries and a sprig of mint to enhance its spooky presentation. Here are some Halloween cocktail ideas that will thrill your guests and add seasonal flair to your menu. Ingredients 2 oz. bourbon 1/2 oz.
By Tracie Johnson, Contributor A restaurant is a destination, an experience , and a reflection of the cultural moment -- not just a place to eat. Understanding a rapidly changing landscape characterized by rising costs, evolving customer habits, and an increasing demand for originality is critical to success.
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