ChowNow

MARCH 21, 2025

In this article, you will learn: How to define your restaurants target market to guide your business decisions. Key customer factors that influence dining preferences, from demographics to behavior. These are the people most likely to dine with you based on factors like their age, income, dining preferences, and lifestyle.

Marketing

ChowNow

MARCH 7, 2025

When used strategically, customer data can help you personalize marketing, streamline operations, and create a better dining experience for your guests. Thats why 44% of restaurants are investing in restaurant technology tools to improve their business analyticsbecause customer data works. You can increase revenue.

Loyalty Program

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 31, 2025

The vast majority, 65 percent, of those businesses experiencing rising labor and recruiting cost challenges said their primary response has been operating below full capacity, while 19 percent said they limited operating hours to manage the shortage and increased cost.

2025

Goliath Consulting

MAY 26, 2025

A trendy, fast-casual spot will likely need very different content than a fine dining experience. Start Small Before committing long-term, offer a paid trial project or limited campaign. Todays diners scroll before they order, and your restaurants social media presence can make or break their decision to visit.

Hiring

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. For the first part, click here and for the second part, click here. Data, Data, Data.

2025

EATER

FEBRUARY 18, 2025

hadynyah/Getty Images A local food expert provides the ideal culinary tour of Sri Lanka, from the islands palm tree-lined beaches to its rolling highland tea plantations Floating just below the southern tip of India, Sri Lanka is a stunningly verdant island cloaked in jungles. Travel around and youll be rewarded. Whats the food in Sri Lanka like?

Hotels

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. Thats huge! And when you do?

2025

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

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. It flags inefficiencies in your kitchen, purchasing, or inventory management.

Food

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. Think about it: earning more from the customers you already have is significantly easier than convincing new customers to try out your restaurant.

Loyalty Program

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.

Certification

ChowNow

MARCH 27, 2025

Set prices too low, and youre leaving money on the table. Too high, and youll drive customers away. Somewhere in between is the number that makes sense for your food costs, your market, and your restaurants unique position. Most operators aim for food costs to be around 28-35% of the menu price, though this can change from restaurant to restaurant.

Pricing

ChowNow

AUGUST 1, 2025

Because of this perception, many restaurant owners feel like running an influencer marketing campaign is a risky gamble: you give away free or heavily discounted food, cross your fingers, and then hope for a post that drives new business. It’s easy to see why so many operators are skeptical. With nearly 50% of U.S.

Influencer

ChowNow

JULY 11, 2025

Good example: A fine dining restaurant using just five clearly defined sections—Small Plates, Mains, Sides, Desserts, and Beverages. These core principles work on any menu, whether it’s a physical menu for a fine dining restaurant or a digital menu for a fast food establishment; they apply across the board.

Menu

ChowNow

MARCH 13, 2025

Actionable steps to implement a centralized system without disrupting your business. The Problem: Juggling Multiple Delivery Platforms Is a Nightmare You probably dread seeing your restaurants delivery station on a busy night: a row of tablets, each glowing with incoming orders from different third-party delivery apps.

Delivery

ChowNow

MAY 23, 2025

If your restaurant profit margins arent healthy, it doesnt matter how busy you areyoull always be playing catch-up. The truth is that the average restaurant profit margin is razor-thin, leaving almost no room for error. A spike in food costs, a drop in sales volume, or one slow season can wipe out months of hard work. added up to $60,000.

Point of Sale

The Rail

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Cloud kitchens, in particular, enable restaurants to lower setup and operational costs, making them an attractive business model. Cloud kitchens, in particular, enable restaurants to lower setup and operational costs, making them an attractive business model. If so, you’re not alone. from 2023 to 2030.

Delivery

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

Boosts Repeat Business: Special promotions, loyalty rewards, and exclusive deals encourage guests to return. Seasonal Menus & Event Announcements If you roll out seasonal dishes, holiday specials, or themed dining experiences, let your audience know in advance. Many POS systems already collect customer emails for you.

Email Marketing

ChowNow

MARCH 14, 2025

Every day, youre juggling staff, food quality, inventory, customer service, purchasing, and moreall while trying to cultivate a dining experience that wows your customers enough to keep them coming back. Its tough, and cant be done passively.

Operations

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

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 21, 2025

If your business isnt keeping up with the changes, you risk falling behind and not meeting modern customer expectations. The Different Types of Restaurant Apps (With Examples) Each of these restaurant apps serves a very specific purpose that will make operating your business significantly easier. Online ordering and delivery apps.

2025

ChowNow

MAY 9, 2025

This doesnt mean cutting corners and sacrificing the customer experience; its about knowing where your money is going, spotting leaks early, and fine-tuning whats already working. A good labor cost percentage to shoot for is between 20%-30% , depending on your service style and local wage laws. Are you overstaffed on slow days?

Operations

ChowNow

AUGUST 1, 2025

But actually knowing how to use social media marketing to grow their business is where restaurant owners get stuck. It’s these small actions that create real relationships and get people talking about your restaurant. Where do you start? How do you turn followers into paying customers? Here’s what makes it so effective.

Social Media

SpotOn

APRIL 14, 2025

San Francisco , April 14, 2025 — SpotOn , a leading software and payments partner for restaurants and small businesses, enters 2025 with strong momentum driven by new client wins, expanded advisory expertise and key product enhancements. New financial insights help operators prepare for the future while improving profitability.

2025

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. But how to brand a restaurant isnt always clear. Its more than just designing a cool logo, picking a catchy name, and slapping it on everything.

Mobile Ordering

The Restaurant Group

DECEMBER 1, 2024

Encourage Feedback – Fine-tune dishes based on their input. Assigning Roles and Responsibilities for the Launch A well-coordinated team ensures a seamless launch: Assign clear responsibilities, from social media updates to managing the dining room. Soft Openings – Test the waters with a small audience to gather real-time feedback.

Menu

Lavu

MARCH 21, 2025

Restaurants can now use customer data to enhance restaurant menu design, creating smarter menus that increase profits and improve the dining experience. A well-designed menu that not only improves the dining experience but also boosts the bottom line. Peak time orders : Fine-tune inventory and pricing for busy periods.

Design

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

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

Perfect Daily Grind

JULY 14, 2025

To compensate for the higher consumption of short, small drinks like espresso, many Italians prefer bold, intense, and bitter dark-roasted coffee. Italy has long been a bastion of traditional coffee culture. You may also like our article on why espresso is so popular in Italy. It’s a cultural reflex, almost subconscious,” he adds.

Café

The Restaurant Group

APRIL 12, 2025

How It Works in the Restaurant Business In the restaurant biz, influencers share their dining experiences, spotlighting your culinary delights to their audience. Fine Dining Spot’s Influencer Tasting Event : Created buzz around a new menu launch. Ready to turn your eatery into the talk of the town?

Influencer

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

SpotOn

DECEMBER 11, 2024

" They're somewhere between a full-service casual dining restaurant and a quick-service restaurant or fast food chain. The history of fast casual dining The fast casual concept was born in the 1990s but gained popularity in the mid-2000s with the massive success of Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Fast Casual

Lavu

AUGUST 1, 2025

By leveraging data-driven tools, real-time reporting, and intelligent staff coordination, you can streamline operations, reduce wait times, and increase customer satisfaction—turning busy hours into consistent business wins. Start Serving Small Plates during Off-Peak Hours Modern dining behavior is partial to small plates.

POS

EATER

MAY 16, 2025

Led by business and life partners Silver and Cherry Iocovozzi, the Filipinx restaurant has garnered many accolades: It was a 2023 James Beard finalist for Best New Restaurant, one of Bon Appetit s 2023 Best New Restaurants, and in 2024, was named a USA Today Restaurant of the Year. The Neng Jr.s team reflects on recovery.

Tourism

Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 1, 2025

Restaurants are a tough business, with only 50 percent of newly opened restaurants surviving to the five year mark. This is often the result of a lack of focus, as restaurant owners and managers prioritize the kitchen, dining area and customer service, neglecting the bathrooms. Herein lies a particular challenge.

Mobile Ordering