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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.
Meanwhile, extreme weather events are likely to disrupt transportation routes, damage crops, and lead to shortages of key ingredients, resulting in price spikes that impact menus. Seasonal Shifts : They may be predictable, but they still add another layer of complexity to restaurant management. Think of it as an adaptable tool.
menu, hours, etc.), or place an order (for take out). A second emerging use case is to follow-up after a meal with patrons to gather feedback in order to maintain customer loyalty and minimize the intention for dissatisfied diners to post low rated Google Reviews. Access to the POS/online booking system if necessary.
While there was a brief dip in consumer awareness of menu price increases in late 2024, the spring of 2025 has seen a moderate rise, affecting dining habits and consumer perceptions of value. “With rising prices tied to eggs and imported goods, restaurants will need to think creatively about their menus,” Fink said.
When business slows down, its easy to blame the season, the weather, or people not going out like they used to, but sometimes all customers need is a good reminder or the right reason to show up again. Are you trying to increase your direct online ordering ? Start by asking: What are you trying to accomplish?
Online ordering has transformed the restaurant industry, turning what was once a convenience into an absolute necessity. Customers expect to browse menus, place orders, and pay for their meals with just a few taps of their phones. Why Every Restaurant Needs an Online Ordering System The answer is simple: to stay competitive.
While these platforms do bring in orders, they also come with the price of high commission fees, loss of customer data, and a weaker connection between you and your guests. Its up to you to educate them on the impact and show them why ordering direct makes a difference. can be an eye-opener for customers.
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. Out of season do something interesting with tomatoes (oven roasted, marinated, sun-dried tomato paste, etc.) Make the tomato an experience. Make the sandwich your lifes work.
Understanding what customers order, when they order, and how often is an untapped goldmine of information for restaurant operators. What do repeat orders say about our customer preferences? Ordering data includes more than just what gets sold. Which dishes are getting ordered the most?
With close to two-thirds (63 percent) of Americans now ordering takeout at least once a month , and most of this group ordering online, restaurants are looking for unique ways to win guests through digital channels. When a guest orders directly with a restaurant, they are opting in to share all their data with that establishment.
Photos of your menu items, ambiance, and even happy customers will give potential guests a glimpse of the dining experience you offer. Use it to share updates, special events, or new menu items. For example, you can promote your seasonal dishes or happy hour specials. It's an active marketing tool.
The chain has kept its menu prices lower than inflation, and it has invested in other limited-time specials, such as its popular Never-Ending Pasta Bowl, in an effort to appeal to price-conscious consumers. It plans to keep prices down while also adding more lower-priced items to the menu. “If
It's not just the merch on the menu that is driving traffic to the brand with a misison to create spaces that blend sports and leisure and offer innovative cocktails, next-level architecture and high-end designer decor with elevated bar bites, retro games, and exclusive event nights. So everything is extremely limited.
This "Super" special edition of Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine's Research Roundup has a Super Bowl theme. 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. Toast analyzed data from restaurants on Sunday, Feb.
Just a few short years ago, customers paid for their meals in cash or credit cards, orders were totaled on analog cash registers, and customers called restaurants to place orders over the landline phone. The New Norm: Text to Order. These solutions work in tandem, making it easier than ever for customers to order and pay.
Every online order, email sign up, and reward program interaction generates valuable insightsbut if that data just sits there, youre missing a major opportunity. Think about it: What if you could automatically send a special offer to a customer who hasnt ordered in a while? Restaurants collect a ton of customer data.
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.
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. Most & Least Expensive Orders (spoiler alert: not what you would expect!)
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 right restaurant newsletter doesnt just share updates; it keeps customers invested in your brand, your menu, and your next move. Its your chance to turn casual diners into consistent regulars, promote new menu items before they even hit the table, and build a real sense of community around your restaurant.
A well-crafted email can remind a past guest to stop by again, encourage reservations for a new seasonalmenu, or even boost online orders with a limited-time discount. A well-timed email with a special offer, new menu item, or exclusive promotion can be the nudge they need to place another order.
In this article, you will learn: How to improve your restaurants visibility so more people discover you Engagement strategies that turn first-time visitors into repeat customers Practical marketing tactics to fill more tables and increase takeout orders Here are eight strategies proven to attract more customers to your restaurant.
Are your regulars ordering the same drink and entree every time they come in? 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.
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.
How do you handle multiple tables and orders at once? 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 did you do?
Every order placed at a kiosk generates valuable data, allowing restaurants to better understand customer preferences, forecast demand, and optimize menu offerings. Embracing innovation without losing the personal touch that makes independent restaurants special. Digital menus and smart signage. One of those tools?
Many restaurants have had to alter how they serve customers, and some have had to close their indoor dining and become creative with extending patio season. Offering both physical and digital gift cards (also known as eGift cards) is a great tactic to help increase revenue during the holiday season. Make Your MenuSeasonal.
Holidays provide restaurants with the opportunity to capitalize on the special moment by offering specials, events, and so much more exclusive to the holiday. Create a Prix Fixe Menu. A prix fixe menu also gives off an air of elegance. Upsell with Valentine’s Day Specials. Offer a Gift Card with Purchase.
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.
But as we enter 2020, it’s important to recognize how digital technology drives our society and its major impact on consumer reactions and ordering habits. As customers glance at screens while waiting to place their orders, the powerful allure of a yummy premium item or dessert may sway them to deviate from an original food order.
By analyzing customer preferences, dining habits, and feedback, AI chatbots can send personalized messages to engage customers with new menu items, exclusive offers, and meal recommendations. Automated Ordering AI-powered chatbots can handle customer orders, reducing the need for human intervention.
Increase sales by promoting high-margin menu items and special offers. Factor in seasonal trends: If your restaurant has seasonal peaks and slow periods, adjust your budget accordingly. You might need to spend more on marketing before busy seasons and scale back during slower months.
Foot traffic or heat mapping, menu item engagement, or consumer demographics by time of day. Restaurants are already experimenting with using AI to handle drive through orders to allow human employees to focus on customer interactions in the restaurant.
However, for many states and cities in climates that experience a full four seasons of weather, cooler weather is fast approaching and with it, another chance to make operational changes. So, what are some additional ways restaurant operators can swing with the seasons and make additional revenue? Then, work to fill those gaps.
This edition of Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine's Research Roundup features news on summer restaurant employment, indecisiveness ordering, online ordering trends, and the world's best cities for food. percent stating these hikes have changed their ordering decisions.
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. How long should restaurant staff training be?
By leveraging advanced tech solutions that enhance guest experiences and deepen customer relationships, operators can increase guest loyalty to lock in key customers as spending habits change and the holiday season ramps up. For example, have a guest that always orders dessert when they dine in? Enhancing the In-Person Experience.
Reevaluating the prices of your drinks and knowing the types of drinks you sell can help you earn more for each bottle, as well as implementing portion control and even redesigning your menu. Calculate the cost of each drink on your menu, including the cost of the alcohol, garnishes, mixers, and anything else that goes into the drink.
Winter can be a tough season for restaurant and bar owners. Here are a few ideas for restaurant and bar owners to consider in an effort to continue to serve up good eats and top-tier service during the winter season. Offer Specials and Competitive Pricing. Consider Adding Festive Menu Items.
Keeping menus updated across various online ordering systems and third-party delivery apps can feel like a never-ending game of catch-up. Manually updating menus across multiple online ordering channels is tedious, time-consuming, and prone to mistakes. What is Menu Management Software?
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. A blurry menu photo from 2018 isn’t a good look. Nothing drives away potential customers like showing up to a closed restaurant.
As a restaurant, you’ve got the opportunity to feed into that joyful excitement with special events for the season, so grab the chance before the winter holidays takeover! Serve Special (Spooky) Food and Drinks. Half the fun of Halloween is dressing up in something special.
Add high-quality photos and videos regularly, posting as soon as new dishes are added to your menu. Keep your hours updated as well, especially if you have special holiday hours or seasonal changes. Another great way to partner with local businesses is by featuring their products on your menu or in your restaurant marketing.
To battle this issue, AI systems forecast customer demand by analyzing historical sales data and seasonal trends. This enables restaurants to adjust orders, create specials, and repurpose ingredients before they spoil. Example : Loman AI is developing a tool aimed at enhancing menu engineering for restaurants.
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