This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
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.
No longer solely defined by crowded dining rooms, special occasions are increasingly being marked by the ease and comfort of takeout and delivery, presenting both opportunities and challenges for restaurants. "We’ve "That shift has only accelerated in recent years. . "We’ve
Building a unique identity for your restaurant can be challenging in a competitive market. At Health Nut, we've successfully capitalized on local marketing to create a brand that resonates deeply with our community and inspires a loyal following. In addition, partnering with local influencers extends our reach authentically.
"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.
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. Premium menu items have a lower price sensitivity, and Gen Zers are wild about specialty beverages and innovative flavors.
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.
Create a SpecialMenu. Design a prix fixe or specialsmenu that’s festive for the holiday. Customers are looking for something to celebrate and be excited for, so making your menu reflect this will help mark the day and add to the specialness. Why not offer your specials for the weekend or a week?
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.,
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.
This approach feels like a suggestion, not a sales pitch, and helps customers discover menu items they might have otherwise missed. Example: Date Night Special 2 steaks, 1 appetizer, and a chocolate lava cake for $70. Example: Three-Course Chefs Menu Starter, entre, and dessert for $50.
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.
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. Analyze Previous Holiday Sales Data Past sales data is invaluable when it comes to planning the upcoming season.
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.
Cheese should be from a local or regional cheesemaker and let the customer know where it came from and why its so special. Guests spending hundreds of dollars for a memorable meal and making reservations months in advance just to garner a seat. Wine lists that resemble an encyclopedia of the wine making craft are just the price of admission.
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.
This will also allow the operator to concentrate on the operational and menu aspects, ensuring that both customer service and menu innovation remain exceptional and continuously evolving. What are common mistakes you see restaurant operators making in their marketing efforts and how can they rebound?
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.
Menu pricing isnt just about covering costsits about finding that sweet spot where profitability, customer perception, and operational reality meet. Understanding the Key Factors in Menu Pricing Before you develop your menu pricing strategies, its important to ground your decisions in the numbers.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The National Retail Federation estimates that 41 percent of consumers will celebrate Valentine’s day with a special dinner or celebration at home. Make Your Menu the Main Course. This can include, mask wearing protocols, occupancy rules, socially distanced dining, Valentine’s day reservation instructions and more.
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.
Review and Revise Your Menu Offerings. Before Restaurant Week kicks off, craft a menu that is friendly to both your bottom line and your customers. This way, you can encourage guests to return when your menu isn’t discounted while also encouraging employee retention by showcasing your kitchen team’s talents and creativity.
If you enjoy dining out, its time you gave some thought to what it takes to prepare and serve those items that give you pleasure on the plate. They can work with special permission but alas, sometimes they are simply paid under the table. It seems to me, that the realities of this challenge are not given sufficient airtime.
Dining Out Habits of Mocktail Enthusiasts Mocktail enthusiasts are much more likely to eat out frequently and more likely to go to a chain restaurant rather than local. Survey Question: If you were dining out tonight, would you prefer to go to a local restaurant or chain restaurant? Adults 45-55 are about average at 21 percent.
For example, a POS system that integrates with your loyalty program and email marketing platform can automatically send rewards or special offers to frequent diners. Predictive AI, for example, helps restaurants anticipate guest preferences, such as favorite dishes, dining times, or spending patterns.
Holidays provide restaurants with the opportunity to capitalize on the special moment by offering specials, events, and so much more exclusive to the holiday. Holidays provide restaurants with the opportunity to capitalize on the special moment by offering specials, events, and so much more exclusive to the holiday.
All photos courtesy of Ascent Hospitality Management A pair of legacy family-dining brands are out to prove that age is only a number. . | All photos courtesy of Ascent Hospitality Management A pair of legacy family-dining brands are out to prove that age is only a number. That means you can now get boba at Perkins.
Youre delivering a great dining experience, yet foot traffic remains inconsistent, online engagement is low, and new customers arent coming in as often as youd like. This includes hours of operation (including holiday updates), your website link, phone number, and menu. Here are two ways to make a big impact on your local SEO.
Think about it: What if you could automatically send a special offer to a customer who hasnt ordered in a while? When used strategically, customer data can help you personalize marketing, streamline operations, and create a better dining experience for your guests. Or adjust your staffing schedule based on peak ordering times?
I think, even if these items weren’t on a menu, I would find a way to bring them into the fold. Respectable restaurants either bake their own or invest the time to find an exceptional resource for this essential ingredient in the dining experience. The smells of the kitchen are individually unique, yet somehow blend to make sense.
This Valentine's Day edition of Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine's Research Roundup features dining and gifting trends including the importance of experience. Restaurants saw 41 percent more transactions The busiest dining hour? Analyzing data from full-service restaurants on Feb. percent in 2024. percent in 2024.
Are your regulars ordering the same drink and entree every time they come in? Does the energy feel flat, and the customers look bored. Seeing those glazed-over eyes is unsettling, and youre starting to think, Maybe its time to shake things up a bit. Maybe hosting an event could pump some new life into your restaurant.
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.
The right promotion at the right time can reignite business, whether that means a packed dining room on a slow weekday or reconnecting with loyal customers who havent ordered in a while. If youve got a big outdoor patio, maybe a summer evening special event is the best move. Encouraging repeat visits from loyal customers?
What would you do if a customer tried to use an expired coupon or special offer? How would you recommend menu items to guests to enhance their dining experience? Have you ever handled a situation where a customer asked for a dish not on the menu? What techniques do you use to upsell menu items or drinks?
It gives people everything they need to make a decision about where to eat, including business hours, phone number, location, menu, photos, reviews, and links to online ordering, all in one place. Add high-quality photos of your food, staff, dining space, and even signage. Even minor differences (like “St.”
Maybe you’re running a second-generation Italian restaurant, staying true to your family recipes, or maybe after years of working in fine dining, you opened a spot that felt more true to you. A casual neighborhood spot will use different language than a fine-dining restaurant trying to earn a Michelin star. Here’s why it matters.
89% of people do dining research on their phones, so if you’re not making the most of your online presence, you're missing out on a huge opportunity. If you feel that digital marketing isn’t giving your local restaurant the results you need, then it's time to explore more targeted strategies.
Managing special occasion promotions is easier than ever with the best POS system features and integrated online ordering. Loyalty Programs : Built-in systems to reward customers and trigger special occasion perks automatically. Loyalty Programs : Built-in systems to reward customers and trigger special occasion perks automatically.
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.
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 49,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
Let's personalize your content