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The holiday season is a huge calendar event in the restaurant industry, with bookings booming as guests look to let their hair down and enjoy a festive feast. Over the Christmas season, 63 percent of adults plan to eat out so your restaurant needs to be prepared for the increase in demand.
"While technology has the potential to enhance the dining experience, the research shows that AI integration isn’t a top priority for most consumers,” said Carly Fink, President, Head of Research & Strategy for Provoke Insights.“Patrons This was only topped by grocery store increases at 79 percent.
The average restaurant operating a sit-down dining experience can miss 15-30 percent of incoming calls on average, with that number possibly being even higher during busy hours. menu, hours, etc.), menu, hours, etc.), The most common asks are to make a reservation, ask a Frequently-Asked-Question (e.g.,
You can identify potential gaps in the local dining landscape and create unique value propositions. For instance, "Discover which menu items are most popular among our target market" is a clear and focused goal. Another goal might involve understanding your local dining market's preferences.
Now, make sure that the vegetables on the sandwich are at their peak and reflective of the season: dont serve raw tomatoes outside of July and August. Now, make sure that the vegetables on the sandwich are at their peak and reflective of the season: dont serve raw tomatoes outside of July and August. Make the tomato an experience.
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.
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.
This trend of using unique glassware to showcase specialty drinks and cocktails is growing in both fine dining and casual establishments across the country. This trend of using unique glassware to showcase specialty drinks and cocktails is growing in both fine dining and casual establishments across the country.
Other restaurants are integrating AI into reservations, guest messaging, and even menu pricing—helping them react to demand in real time. It’s about taking friction out of operations—so staff can spend more time focused on hospitality, not paperwork. Artificial Intelligence doesn’t necessarily mean human-like behavior.
at the Italian casual-dining chain as its investments in affordability and Uber delivery paid off. 20, 2025 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Consumers are finding value in casual-dining brands like Olive Garden. Same-store sales at the Italian casual-dining chain spiked 6.9% By Joe Guszkowski on Jun.
Every cook, at least every serious cook, seems to want to work in one of those exceptional fine dining or cutting-edge experimental operations that are depicted in shows like Chefs Table or The Bear. If you are serious about a kitchen career and have the focus to map out the best path, then listen up.
You take your seat at a table embedded with a touchscreen menu. Walk over to the bar where Tipsy, the robotic bartender with eight arms, prepares your cocktail with speed and accuracy that would put the most seasoned mixologist to shame. Need a drink? This technology already exists today. Even kitchens are evolving.
Consider this – the menu is the most important component of a successful restaurant and once designed it can, and should, impact every other aspect of the business. YES – the menu is that important! The menu comes first and should reflect the philosophy of the owners and chef and how the operators expect to be perceived by the public.
Restaurant operators need to embrace menu and technological innovations in order to meet guest expectations this holiday season, according to the Fall/Winter Trend report: a report produced by Provoke Insights in collaboration with Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine. "Our The study was in-field in Sept-Oct 2024.
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.
Fast-casual Condado Tacos—which prefers calling itself “next-gen casual”—has long had a bar program with a selection of conventional margaritas and beers to go with its Mexican-style menu and vibe. But those same margaritas had been on the menu since 2014 when the bar, so to speak, was set a bit lower. By Patricia Cobe on Jul.
But what if your menu was telling your guests something about luxury? In the January 23, 2024 New York Times article,“The Menu Trends That Define Dining Right Now,” the publication gathered 121 menus from restaurants all over the United States.
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. The question now becomes – how to make sense of that data and use it to elevate the dining experience. Data, Data, Data.
Behind the scenes, strategic decisions greatly impact a restaurant's bottom line, and at the forefront of these is the art of menu engineering. Far from just a list of dishes, a well-engineered menu is a powerful tool that can significantly increase a restaurant's efficiency and profitability.
Instead, you’ll see signage about the health benefits of plant-based eating — the “primary drivers of consumer choice are personal benefit,” says Goldman — and the menu board, designed like any one in other fast-food chains. The “ PLNT Impact Tracker ” on PLNT Burger’s website wants you to think about what you’re eating.
percent menu-price inflation rate. With households increasingly treating dining out as a luxury, every menu item and service interaction becomes a potential make-or-break moment. Red Robin climbs 3 percent to 78 thanks in large part to its focus on menu and food. At the same time, U.S. chain sales grew just 3.1
Local SEO strategies, like targeting location-specific searches, will help your site show up when people look for nearby dining options on search engines. Local SEO strategies, like targeting location-specific searches, will help your site show up when people look for nearby dining options on search engines.
Understanding your target market is the foundation of making smart decisions for your menu, pricing, and overall guest experience. Without a well-defined target market, restaurants risk wasting resources on strategies that dont connect and menu offerings that dont selltrying to appeal to everyone, but standing out to no one.
Sure, the chef may have his or her name on the menu, the owner may proudly greet every guest, accomplished line cooks may amaze everyone involved, service staff win the day with attention to detail and salesmanship, and one could certainly argue that dishwashers are MVPs because if they fail, the whole operation starts to crumble.
As we progress through a pandemic that’s kept many inside for months, guests are looking to venture out and experience unique dining moments. By utilizing seasonal ingredients and creating specialty menu items, our product innovation efforts have kept us relevant in a competitive industry, earning guest loyalty and driving sales.
Naturally engaging for the senses, videos attract attention in a sea of content, get diners interested in your menu, and encourage visitors. Then, when they want to dine out, your restaurant is at the top of their mind. Video marketing can be your secret weapon. There are plenty of other opportunities with videos.
Restaurant operators searching for something versatile that will cross the dayparts need to look no further than their breakfast menu as waffles have been breaking out of the morning. Profitability: Waffles are a low-cost, center-of-the-plate item and one of the most profitable breakfast item menu offerings. Waffles saw a 15.4
The menu, which includes the ever-popular fry bread taco, tells a story of connection, innovation, and respect for legacy and Indigenous culinary traditions. Through thoughtful collaborations and menus steeped in Indigenous traditions, these cafes honor the past while embracing innovation.
The right restaurant newsletter doesnt just share updates; it keeps customers invested in your brand, your menu, and your next move. The right restaurant newsletter doesnt just share updates; it keeps customers invested in your brand, your menu, and your next move. But just building an email list isnt enough.
Levy A host of diverse offerings are on the menu at Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, and other arenas this season. Although these items are still plentiful, dining at a baseball game has now become an exciting culinary affair. These baseball stadiums didnt start developing new menu items overnight or without forethought.
Predictive AI, for example, helps restaurants anticipate guest preferences, such as favorite dishes, dining times, or spending patterns. With AI’s growing prominence in marketing discussions this year, brands have begun navigating both its potential and pitfalls. Start small by choosing technology that connects easily.
A customer in Miami should bite into the same perfectly seasoned burger that delights diners in Seattle. As the digital dining revolution accelerates, the most successful restaurant chains will be those that transform their fragmented tech landscape into unified enterprise platforms.
Limited-Time-Only MenusSeasonal, health-inspired items offered on limited-time-only (LTO) menus are driving customer engagement. Pop-Up Restaurants Pop-up dining experiences are a natural fit for showcasing health trends. Restaurants are leveraging its popularity by featuring it in lattes, iced teas, and smoothies.
Free from the limitations of static signage, restaurants can effectively and visually educate their customers on menu items, pricing structures, and ordering protocols. Custom Menus Like Never Before. Digital playlist functions allow you to setup and schedule content to the minute on daily, weekly, monthly, or seasonal basis.
An integrated marketing strategy can establish the groundwork for curating memorable dining experiences, further fostering brand loyalty and generating positive word-of-mouth to grow your business to new heights. According to research, the majority of customers are interested in ordering seasonal items.
When used strategically, customer data can help you personalize marketing, streamline operations, and create a better dining experience for your guests. You can also use sales trends to adjust menu pricing and share customer-favorite menu items, helping you get the most out of high-demand dishes. You can increase revenue.
Pick your event idea by looking at your: Venue size and layout Customer demographic Available resources Time of year (season) Community Write out each of these factors, and a picture will emerge of which restaurant event idea will best fit your location. Are your regulars ordering the same drink and entree every time they come in?
To battle this issue, AI systems forecast customer demand by analyzing historical sales data and seasonal trends. Enhancing Menu Engineering Some menu items contribute disproportionately to food waste due to low popularity or inefficient ingredient use. This allowed chefs to track and manage stock more effectively.
With some outdoor dining pilot programs coming to an end as we head into the winter months, tens of thousands of restaurants across the country will be forced to operate at a fraction of typical capacity without added outdoor seating to supplement the loss. Does your dining room layout need a social distance inspired layout?
With outdoor dining occupying the foreground, and bars and indoor dining taking a back seat to consumer preferences, it begs the question: what happens when it gets cold? Outdoor dining works great during the warmer weather, and for facilitating additional curbside/delivery. One key to making this a success is marketing.
MVP Menu Performances More than 200 million people tuned in to the Super Bowl last year—many with a plate of wings in front of them. Takeout Holds Steady, Delivery Slumps Delivery orders dropped 9 percent, while dine-in traffic fell 20 percent. Toast analyzed data from restaurants on Sunday, Feb. Is Delivery Worth the Dollars?
Restaurant guests in cost-saving mode are eating out less and more conscious of menu prices, according to Restaurants: Consumer Trends Fall 2022/Winter 2023 a report produced by Provoke Insights in collaboration with Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine. “Unique offerings to help separate from the competition may be helpful.
As the chill of winter fades and patio season returns, restaurant owners have a prime opportunity to prepare their HVAC systems for the demands of spring. Instead of waiting for issues to arise, a proactive maintenance approach can prevent costly repairs, improve energy efficiency, and ensure diners stay comfortable throughout the season.
Have you ever walked into a restaurant, excited for a great meal, but the server can’t answer your questions about the menu? Without the right training, even the best menu or ambiance can fall short due to poor service, leading to dissatisfied customers and lost revenue. Focused training also speeds up the onboarding process.
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