Modern Restaurant Management

JULY 11, 2025

For instance, a limited menu can focus on your most popular dishes, or you may design it around a specific season and highlight traditional cuisines, holidays, anniversaries, and other special celebrations. They make the change feel special and help drive more immediate interest.

Menu

The Rail

JANUARY 21, 2025

By Bailey Ramsey, Contributor Food waste is a critical issue in the restaurant industry. To put this in perspective, restaurants waste anywhere between 4% to 10% of the food they purchase. Predicting Customer Demand Accurately One of the leading causes of food waste in restaurants is overproduction.

Waste

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 28, 2024

A bar is a profitable business option if you’re looking to enter the food industry. Start by tracking all the income your bar generates, including sales from drinks, food, and any additional services. On the other hand, for lower-cost items like beer, you can bundle or offer happy hour specials to drive more volume and profit.

Point of Sale

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

Everything from food to labor is getting more expensive, which means restaurant margins are tighter than ever. The right marketing strategy helps you get the most out of every dollar by increasing customer retention , boosting order volume, and encouraging repeat visits. Even if your food is incredible, youre not operating in a vacuum.

2025

ChowNow

MARCH 21, 2025

Climate & Seasonality: Does the weather impact what people order or when they dine out? Ask yourself: Dining Preferences: Do they prioritize health-conscious options, indulgent comfort food, or trendy dishes? Key behavioral factors include: Dining Habits: Do they eat out frequently or only for special occasions?

Marketing

Restaurant Clicks

JULY 22, 2025

What makes these restaurants stand out isn’t just the food, but the people behind them and the way they stick to what works. Each one has built a solid reputation for serving food people keep coming back for. While the setup is simple, the focus is on getting the food right.

Back of House

ChowNow

MAY 9, 2025

When youre updating your online menu or online ordering system, its tempting to just copy over the dish names from your restaurant menu and call it a day. With a few simple techniques, you can write menu descriptions that sounds natural, highlight your best dishes, and help guests feel confident (and excited) about ordering.

Menu

7 Shifts

NOVEMBER 25, 2024

Customers on average will order more menu items, resulting in a larger bill for the restaurant and a larger tip for the employee. With the slim margins, there is tremendous pressure to pour through each of your supplier’s catalogues in an attempt to alter your menu items to make sure you don’t order when prices are high.

Mobile Ordering

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 21, 2025

Increasing your restaurants online order volume doesnt have to feel like an impossible task. In this guide, well walk through seven practical ways to boost your restaurants online order volume. Optimize Your Website and Online Ordering Experience If your restaurants website isnt easy to use, youre probably losing out on online orders.

Online Ordering

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 11, 2025

Adaptability became non-negotiable as takeout, delivery, and digital ordering shifted from secondary revenue streams to essential lifelines." That's why we instituted lower-priced lunch specials and made other adjustments. "The pandemic forced the restaurant industry to evolve – or disappear.

Front of House

ChowNow

JANUARY 23, 2025

Are your regulars ordering the same drink and entree every time they come in? An easy way to collect customer emails is through your online ordering system. 1) Pop-Up Collaborations Partner with other local businesses, like a bakery, brewery, coffee shop, roastery, or food truck, for exclusive menu items or drinks.

Events

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 22, 2024

Whether through supporting local charities or participating in food drives, local restaurants can become go-to places for customers who want to support their community. Keep your hours updated as well, especially if you have special holiday hours or seasonal changes. Use local keywords in your social media posts, too.

Marketing

ChowNow

JUNE 12, 2025

And no, increasing restaurant sales doesn’t mean turning your restaurant staff into pushy upsellers trying to squeeze a few extra dollars out of every order. Create Limited-Time Offers That Drive Action Limited-time offers (LTOs) give potential customers a reason to order now, not later.

Loyalty Program

Restaurant Clicks

JULY 21, 2025

Barbecue has long been a part of Virginia’s food culture. 30 – The Bone BBQ Source: The Bone BBQ The Bone BBQ is a locally owned barbecue spot with locations in Gainesville and Old Town Manassas, Virginia. The portions are generous, and the prices are considered fair, especially for the quality and amount of food served.

Back of House

7 Shifts

NOVEMBER 14, 2024

Back-of-house (BOH) staff, including chefs and kitchen assistants, will focus more on food safety, food handling, and kitchen equipment use. Restaurants with large or intricate menus will need to allocate more time to staff training on the ingredients, preparation methods, and food handling procedures.

Training

ChowNow

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

77% of diners look at a restaurants website before going out to eat or ordering takeout or delivery. If you dont have a website, that means over three-quarters of the people near your restaurantyour potential customerswill never come in or place an order because they have no way to find you when theyre looking for a place to eat.

Social Media

ChowNow

MARCH 27, 2025

Somewhere in between is the number that makes sense for your food costs, your market, and your restaurants unique position. Food Costs: How to calculate the cost of each dish Lets start with the basics: how much does it actually cost you to make each item on your menu? Set prices too low, and youre leaving money on the table.

Pricing

Restaurant Clicks

JULY 28, 2025

30 – Cotton BBQ Source: Cotton BBQ Cotton BBQ in Bowling Green is known for its Texas-style barbecue cooked fresh daily over a wood-fired pit. 29 – LX BBQ Source: LX BBQ LX BBQ in Lexington is one of Kentucky’s newer barbecue spots, but it’s already building a strong local following.

Fast Casual

EATER

MARCH 27, 2025

The goal was to not only to trace current dining expectations and desires fueled by both current economic uncertainties and also the inundation of sources for restaurant recommendations and reviews but also how younger diners might be shaping the industry in the future.

Social Media

ChowNow

MARCH 7, 2025

With a few key optimizations, your restaurant can rank higher on Google, get noticed by people searching for places to eat, and ultimately drive more foot traffic and online orders. Restaurants that rank higher in local search results get more foot traffic, online orders, and reservations. Leave us a review on Google!

SEO

The Rail

JUNE 6, 2025

1 Simplify the Dining Area for Comfort and Style Updating the dining area produces a friendly environment that invites guests to remain longer and enjoy their food. 2 Fresh and Local Ingredients Elevate the Menu Using fresh, locally grown foods freshens the menu and demonstrates quality consciousness.

Social Media

Restaurant Clicks

JULY 18, 2025

These are the places people keep coming back to, not just for the food but also for the experience and the way they treat their customers. 30 – Blackburn’s BBQ Source: Blackburn’s BBQ Blackburn’s BBQ in Eagle Lake has become a local favorite since opening in 2017, first as a food truck before moving into a full restaurant.

Back of House

Restaurant Business

JUNE 23, 2025

Acqui-hire “To acquire a company in order to use its employees skills or knowledge, rather than for its products or services.” The coffee giant is licensing the company’s order fulfillment tech while also bringing aboard Empower’s six engineers. Add these six terms to your vocabulary.

Hiring

Restaurant Clicks

JULY 23, 2025

These places have earned a following not just for their food but for the people behind the grill and the warm welcome that keeps folks coming back. 29 – Ol’ Bart’s Southern Eats Source: Ol’ Bart’s Southern Eats Ol Bart’s Southern Eats has built a loyal following in Arkansas with its mix of Texas-style smoking and Memphis barbecue roots.

Back of House

EATER

MARCH 27, 2025

Relying on a corporation to provide your favorite food means you have no control over it. The other problem with relying on a corporation for your favorite food is if it were to change, how would you know? The change in order suggests that they have had a change in the net weight between those different products.

Consumer Goods

ChowNow

JANUARY 30, 2025

A strong restaurant brand doesnt just sell food; it tells a story. Restaurant branding is not easy, but when done correctly, the reward is a packed dining room every night with a steady stream of to-go orders out the side door. Or are you a food-focused, farm-to-table restaurant that demands zero nonsense and takes its craft seriously?

Email Marketing

The Rail

JULY 18, 2025

Diners are increasingly conscious of the environmental impact of their meals, not just in terms of ingredients, but also how their food is packaged. When customers see compostable bowls or recycled napkins in their delivery orders, it signals that you care about more than just profits.

Compost

Restaurant Business

JUNE 17, 2025

That model allows the chain to invest more labor in the kitchen, where car-friendly salads and wraps are made to order. Entrée salads can be ordered as a wrap for drivers to eat one handed, for example. Kern said Greenlane has found savings by ordering direct, rather than going through a distributor. Photo courtesy of Greenlane.

Fast Casual

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 31, 2025

This edition of Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine's Research Roundup features news of dramatic Valentine's Day shift, best food scenes, and the evolution of c-store foodservice. Food-away-from-home spending is likely to see modest growth as softer consumer spending patterns prevail. ” A Year of Challenges U.S.

Marketing

Restaurant Clicks

JULY 19, 2025

30 – Kendall’s BBQ Source: Kendall’s BBQ Kendall’s BBQ in Georgiana, Alabama is a roadside stop known for its wood-smoked meats and laid-back setup. Kendall’s has built a loyal following among travelers and locals alike for its straightforward, flavorful food and no-fuss atmosphere.

Back of House

SpotOn

APRIL 1, 2025

Add colorful hanging flower pots on special occasions like Easter, Mother's Day, and the Fourth of July. It's a portable POS device that fits in an apron and lets servers take orders and payments at the table. Sometimes they even have to wait for the POS, because other servers are putting in their orders.

Seating

Lavu

MAY 2, 2025

Managing food allergies in a restaurant isn’t just about good service its a critical safety responsibility. Managing food allergens in restaurants is non-negotiable, especially with 32 million Americans living with food allergies. KDS Integration : Streamline order preparation with allergen-specific alerts.

Allergens

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 18, 2024

Restaurants are already experimenting with using AI to handle drive through orders to allow human employees to focus on customer interactions in the restaurant. For restaurants, sourcing from these local markets offers a way to support regional producers while differentiating their menus with unique, high-quality ingredients.

2025

Lavu

MARCH 21, 2025

These menus not only improve accessibility for a diverse range of customers but also streamline restaurant operations by simplifying menu management and order processing. Heres what you need to know: Better Customer Experience : 17% fewer order mistakes and shorter wait times.

Customer Experience

Squirrel Systems

FEBRUARY 13, 2025

No longer just a payment processing tool, your POS system can handle everything from order taking and payments to inventory tracking and customer data management. Increasing Order Accuracy and Speed Through POS Integration As a restaurant operator, you know that accuracy in order taking is essential to delivering great customer service.

2025

Future Food

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Suddenly we find that 2024 is almost behind us now but Future Food would like to share with you the trends and insight that we see across the food and hospitality sector. Source mccrindle.com.au Discretionary spending has flatlined and shifted for food and hospitality but spending on essential items is slightly up.

Hospitality

Lavu

MAY 23, 2025

With the growing demand for fresh, made-to-order meals and local favorites, starting a deli can be a smart and rewarding business move. If you want to learn how to open a deli, follow these key steps to establish your brand and get the tools you need to serve customers great food and experiences. Youre not alone. The lowest?

2025