January, 2021

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How Restaurants Can Remain Competitive in 2021

7 Shifts

2020 was a year that the restaurant industry won’t soon forget. From a projected record growth at the top of the year to a decline of nearly $240 billion in sales and 2.5 million out of work, it was nothing short of devastating. Through it all, we emerge from the year as an industry in evolution—and our restaurants need to evolve with it. We’re not talking about just surviving the pandemic—but thriving through 2021 and beyond, and setting new standards.

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How Fear Holds Your Restaurant Back

Embrace the Suck

Gather ‘round and allow me to tell you a tale. The names have been changed to protect those not so innocent. Let this tale be a precautionary lesson for you to not go down the same path lest you suffer the same fate as this restaurant did. You’ve been warned—stop reading now if you’re happy with the status quo. In an average town, there was an average restaurant.

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How to Carefully Handle Customer Complaints

Indoor Media

With more and more people shopping online, this year has meant a slew of returned products, damaged goods, and unhappy customers. Sometimes, these outcomes are simply out of your control. But at other times, maybe something really did go wrong on your end — and that’s okay. It’s important to be honest with your customers, and when it comes to online feedback, this task can be very daunting.

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Ways Restaurants Can Encourage Direct Ordering

Modern Restaurant Management

COVID-19 has forced restaurants to rely on takeout and delivery sales to drive the majority of their sales. For some, off-premise already constituted a large percentage of their revenue, and they had the systems in place to pivot when dining rooms closed. Many others, however, had to build their off-premise operations from scratch to combat sudden dine-in closures.

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Mid-Year Review: How to Ignite Employee Potential Through Meaningful Feedback

Mid-year performance reviews aren’t just boxes for HR to check. Paycor’s toolkit empowers leaders to: Identify high-potential team members. Boost engagement with meaningful feedback. Support struggling employees. Nurture top talent to drive results. Learn how to ignite employee potential through meaningful feedback. When you nurture top talent, everybody wins.

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THE 2021 CHEF SKILL SET

Culinary Cues

It is always safe to say: “things change”. Change is an inevitable part of life and as we all know if we fail to recognize that and adapt – we can become obsolete. Throughout history there are countless examples of those who ignore or seem paralyzed by the need to change as their industries or specific job descriptions evolve. This is reality, a reality that is quite predictable although the pace of change is now much more rapid than in the past.

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10 Email Marketing Ideas for Restaurants to Drive Sales

ChowNow

If your restaurant isn’t using email marketing, now is the ideal time to start. It may seem like a big undertaking—especially given everything else you’re probably managing—but it’ll be worth your while. Restaurant email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ideas to stay top of mind, engage with your customers, and increase sales. . Online ordering has become extremely popular, so much so that digital sales will account for more than half of limited-service and quick-service sales b

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Get Ready for the Post-COVID Economy Now!

Embrace the Suck

The bad news : Here we are, waiting for the world to end. I know I wrote a post a little while back saying that there would be a restaurant apocalypse in 2020. I did not see this curveball coming. The good news : The world is not going to end! However, it is going to change, and to deal with that you need to get ready now. In fact, this market adjustment is needed.

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Beverage Trends of 2021: Non-Alcoholic Drinks

Goliath Consulting

Now that 2021 is finally here, it’s out with the old and in with the new. And in the business side of beverages, no topic is more trendy right now than “functional beverages.” Functional drinks are just what it sounds like. They’re beverages that serve a “function,” or basically, products that claim to benefit health, wellness or performance (1). And according to The Hartman Group’s Functional Food & Beverage and Supplements 2020 report, 29 percent of consumers have been consuming more funct

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Emerging from COVID With a More Sustainable Approach

Modern Restaurant Management

While times are difficult right now, it could be the perfect opportunity to consider making some changes to your business model, including shifting to a more sustainable approach for the future. Not only is sustainability a hot topic in the restaurant industry, but certain sustainable practices can actually help you to manage risk and keep your business going if another disaster should strike.

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CHEFS – VALUE and the TOP LINE DRIVE the BOTTOM LINE

Culinary Cues

In the restaurant business there are really only two ways to view profit: a very small amount of profit balanced by very significant volume, or a significant amount of profit on far less volume. How you approach the design of your restaurant in this regard will determine nearly everything else. How you approach profit will determine what your physical plant will look like, the scope of sophistication in your kitchen, who your vendors will be, how many employees you will hire and the depth of the

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Mid-Year Review: How to Ignite Employee Potential Through Meaningful Feedback

Mid-year performance reviews aren’t just boxes for HR to check. Paycor’s toolkit empowers leaders to: Identify high-potential team members. Boost engagement with meaningful feedback. Support struggling employees. Nurture top talent to drive results. Learn how to ignite employee potential through meaningful feedback. When you nurture top talent, everybody wins.

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5 Ways to Promote Your Restaurant App to Customers

ChowNow

Now that you’ve invested in your own restaurant app for online ordering , your next question is likely, “How do I encourage my customers to use it?”. Incentivizing app downloads is important because it gives you a boost in visibility and customer loyalty. In fact, diners who download restaurant apps order twice as often as diners who don’t, according to ChowNow internal data.

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A Different Kind of Room Service

EATER

With indoor dining still not an option in much of the country, hotel restaurants are using empty rooms as private dining suites There are few restaurants Hector Tamez frequents more than Uni , the izakaya located in Boston’s boutique Eliot Hotel. Consider the presentation, he says, or how the staff feels like family. Then, of course, there’s the Chiang Mai duck carnitas.

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The Perfect Recruiting Plan

Embrace the Suck

If you’re like the majority of restaurants and bars in your market, you’ve been struggling to find staff. Many operators are struggling to find any staff! Are they breathing? Can they form a coherent sentence? Yes? Hired! The new hires stay for a few weeks but end up leaving, and the cycle of anxiety begins again. If you feel like you’re desperate to find people, if you feel like staff treats your business like a revolving door, you need a new plan to put an end to your state o

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How Restaurants are Evolving Labor with Third-Party Delivery in 2021

7 Shifts

The restaurant industry will look back on 2020 as the spark that changed how it does business. The COVID-19 pandemic left dining rooms empty and accelerated the industry’s shift to third-party delivery services as a major revenue driver. With this shift comes a challenge to labor conventions: how does one properly staff and budget for labor in this new era for dining?

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What Your Financial Statements Are Telling You—And How to Listen!

Speaker: David Worrell, CFO, Author & Speaker

Your financial statements hold powerful insights—but are you truly paying attention? Many finance professionals focus on the income statement while overlooking key signals hidden in the balance sheet and cash flow statement. Understanding these numbers can unlock smarter decision-making, uncover risks, and drive long-term success. Join David Worrell, accomplished CFO, finance expert, and author, for an engaging, nontraditional take on reading financial statements.

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How Restaurants Can Use Technology to Expand Outdoor Space

Modern Restaurant Management

If one thing is clear, it’s that outdoor dining is here to stay. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants have had to rethink their spaces in order to accommodate additional outdoor dining capacity. All over the country, restaurants have gotten creative to reconfigure outdoor spaces into al fresco dining areas. It makes sense that customers are wary of the indoor dining experience right now.

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CULINARY SCHOOL – STICK YOUR TOE IN THE WATER BEFORE BUYING A BOAT

Culinary Cues

There are a handful of very significant decisions that we make in life – decisions that involve tremendous commitments of time, effort, focus, and yes – money. Starting a relationship, a decision to marry, buying a house or an expensive car, opening a business, and enrolling in college are all decisions that would be considered “monumental”. The right decision can lead you to self-awareness, long-term gratification, rewarding careers, and the foundations of family.

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5 tactics for restaurant success in 2021

ChowNow

To say that 2020 changed the restaurant industry would be an understatement. More than 110,000 restaurants have closed permanently or long term, according to the National Restaurant Association. And as an owner or employee of a restaurant, no one is more uniquely aware of the challenges faced than you. In this blog, we’ve compiled tactics for restaurant success that will help you start 2021 on the right foot.

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Who’s Paying for the Great Delivery Wars?

EATER

Shutterstock. It’s probably not Uber Eats, Postmates, or Grubhub 2020 was an undeniably big year for food delivery. As the pandemic limited access to restaurants and the government dragged — and continues to drag — on providing financial support for small businesses, consumers were given few options outside of takeout and delivery to eat a meal that they didn’t cook themselves.

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State of AI in Sales & Marketing 2025

AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.

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Working IN Your Restaurant Doesn’t Work

Embrace the Suck

Author’s Note: This is an excerpt from my new book title Your Restaurant Culture Sucks! Coming out in late February 2021. You’ve heard it said to you by every consultant out there.You need to work ON your restaurant and not IN your restaurant. Yet, here you are still slugging it out every single day doing battle on the front line. While working ON your business sounds great, it appears to you to be more like a mythical creature that you will never catch.

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Simple Restaurant Marketing Plan for 2021 [PDF Template]

7 Shifts

With a new year comes new challenges, and after the year for the industry that was 2020, we want to help set your restaurant up for success in 2021. As restaurants reopen and business starts to pick up again, it’s important you pick up your marketing plan, too. To help, we’ve created the ultimate restaurant marketing guide, covering strategy, creative, branding, marketing channels, paid and unpaid advertising, and so much more.

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Virtually Delicious: Setting the Table for Digital-First Dining

Modern Restaurant Management

Temporary pop-ups have long been a way to test a new concept without building out a full location. Creating an entire restaurant, after all, is a massive undertaking, even when not in the middle of an industry-wrecking pandemic. But, along the boulevard of online ordering, new locations are built with a handful of pixels, not a truckload of bricks. Welcome to the age of virtual restaurants.

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THE KITCHEN MAGIC OF CHEF PHIL LEARNED

Culinary Cues

Our industry recently lost a giant of the professional kitchen. Chef Phil Learned stood tall in the kitchen of The Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch, NH. In its day, the Balsams was one of the finest destination resorts in the country – a place of elegant relaxation, beautiful surroundings, and most notably – exceptional food. This place tucked away in the hills of the northeast represented the epitome of culinary arts in their American Plan dining room.

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Navigating Payroll Compliance: Future-Proofing Payroll in an Evolving Regulatory Landscape

Speaker: Jennifer Hill

Payroll compliance is a cornerstone of business success, yet for small and midsize businesses, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of federal, state, and local regulations. Mistakes can lead to costly penalties and operational disruptions, making it essential to adopt advanced solutions that ensure accuracy and efficiency.

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Clients Rank ChowNow Among the Best Delivery and Takeout Providers

ChowNow

From our first online order to our one hundred millionth , here at ChowNow, we’ve always been proud of what we help our clients achieve. Some restaurants have made millions on our platform. Others have increased ticket sizes by 30% or doubled order frequency. In 2020, our partners’ achievements were humbler at times, but even more hard-earned: Making enough to keep everyone on the payroll , or helping to spread cheer during a gloomy season.

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16 Exciting Ways to Eat in Albuquerque Right Now

EATER

Combo plate at Duran Pharmacy | Bill Addison. Where to find New Mexico’s favorite biscochitos, a revitalizing plate of carne adovada, and a food hall full of takeout from the city’s best chefs Like its famed enchiladas drowned in blankets of red and green chile sauce, Albuquerque is swimming in traditional New Mexican restaurants. While the city has a strong culinary identity rooted in classic Southwestern flavors, its food scene is truly as diverse as its people.

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Excuse Me, Have You Seen My Core Values Running Down the Street?

Embrace the Suck

What’s going on with you? Seriously—why haven’t you started taking action on your big goals for this year yet? Still, waiting for a couple of key elements to fall into place? The position of the moon not favorable for this grand venture? Do you need to hire that one person who will allow you the time? Here are three words to write down: b t, b t, and b t.

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Breaking the Silence on Sexual Harassment

Sante

Les Dames d'Escoffier NY presents Breaking the Silence on Sexual Harassment.

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The Funding Recipe for Your Restaurant – A Guide To Growing Your Business

Fuel your restaurant’s success with our comprehensive 2025 funding guide! Running a restaurant comes with unique financial challenges, from managing seasonal fluctuations to covering unexpected expenses like equipment repairs or ingredient shortages. This guide dives into fast, flexible financing options for restaurant owners. Discover how to bridge cash flow gaps, fund expansions, or navigate slow seasons without compromising service quality.

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Three Critical Restaurant Advertising Strategies for 2021

Modern Restaurant Management

2020 was difficult for everyone, and the restaurant industry wasn’t spared. With millions out of work and nearly 100,000 restaurants closing, the industry took a hard hit. $165 billion in revenue was lost just from March to July, and it’s estimated to be $240 billion by the end of the year, according to the National Restaurant Association.

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A SURREALISTIC PILLOW EVENT

Culinary Cues

In the mid-sixties, a relatively unknown band (outside of San Francisco) released an album that would become one of the enduring recordings of the last 60 years. The Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealistic Pillow was both strange (surreal) and comforting (pillow) in its beautiful melodies (Today and Coming Back to Me) and cutting edge norm shakers (Somebody to Love and White Rabbit).

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Flexible Covered Period and Expanded Allowable Expenses Makes Newest Round of PPP Funds More Advantageous for Restaurant Businesses

Restaurant365

At long last, Congress agreed on a new $900 billion stimulus package and the president signed it into law last week. Mercifully, it contains some help for restaurant businesses hurt by the pandemic, with the inclusion of funding for a second round of forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for small businesses experiencing significant revenue losses.

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What Goes Into Designing a Wine Label?

EATER

Three designers on the inspiration that goes into creating the bottles you reach for. My relationship with wine started when I was a sophomore in college and my friends and I would trek to the liquor store in downtown Baltimore that didn’t card. Usually, we’d buy a liter of Yellow Tail or Carlo Rossi to take to house parties. I wasn’t so interested in the flavor profiles, the tannins, or whatever; I was interested in getting sloshed for cheap.

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8 Pillars of Leadership Development

Great leadership development is the key to sustainable business growth. Are you ready to design an effective program? HR can use Paycor’s framework to: Set achievable goals. Align employee and company needs. Support different learning styles. Empower the next generation of leaders. Invest in your company’s future with a strong leadership development program.