Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 31, 2024

Transformative Techniques Bartenders are experimenting with the foundations of a cocktail by using techniques like sous vide for prep and serving, forced carbonation for effervescence and clarified citrus to augment beverages before they even reach the mixing stage. Move over “swicy.” Gen Z looves a sweet treat.

2025 450

2025 Beverage Fine Dining Guest Recovery 450

Goliath Consulting

APRIL 5, 2025

Efficient Seating and Ordering Process Minimize wait times and ensure smooth transitions from arrival to seating. Personalization, such as remembering a regulars favorite dish or celebrating special occasions, can leave a lasting impression. Provide digital menus or physical copies that are clear and well-designed.

Customer Experience 195

Customer Experience Email Marketing Customer Service Mobile Ordering 195

Modern Restaurant Management

DECEMBER 3, 2024

The demand for earlier reservations provides restaurants the opportunity to get creative when it comes to driving traffic for second and third seating’s with memorable experiences, dynamic pricing, or late-night specials. We also recommend that operators maximize their space by offering varied experiences throughout service.

Reservations 221

Reservations Book Customer Experience Dine-in 221

Lavu

MAY 30, 2025

By optimizing how quickly tables are cleared and reseated, restaurants can serve more guests during peak hours and improve overall profitability. The last thing any restaurant should do is make the customer feel like they are being pushed out of their seat for the next guest. However, turning tables must be done tactfully.

Seating 140

Seating Mobile Ordering Customer Service Customer Experience 140

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 24, 2025

The Untapped Power of Music In an era of fierce competition in the restaurant and hospitality sectors, curating an unparalleled guest experience isn’t just beneficial, it’s essential for turning reserved seats into lasting memories. Older generations (55+) prefer outdoor seating driving 27% of reservations.

License 252

License Fine Dining Customer Experience Dine-in 252

7 Shifts

NOVEMBER 24, 2024

How do you balance seating arrangements to maintain fairness and efficiency? What steps do you take to handle special seating requests, such as accessibility needs? What strategies do you use to communicate with servers effectively to manage seating flow? How do you ensure guests feel welcome when they arrive?

Hospitality 195

Hospitality Seating Customer Experience Reservations 195

Modern Restaurant Management

JUNE 11, 2020

While having to reduce the number of seats is never ideal for a restaurant, many states are requiring it. The best option is to remove some tables and chairs from your dining room altogether in order not to have a bunch of empty seats as reminders of restrictions. Give your outdoor seating the same importance you give indoor.

Customer Experience 516

Customer Experience Dine-in Food Safety Kitchen Safety 516

EATER

MAY 22, 2025

In the middle of the state, where one of the worlds largest Basque communities put down roots, traditional restaurants still serve family-style courses of charbroiled steaks and roasted salmon to communal tables.

Hotels 273

Hotels Seating Dine-in Take-out 273

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 22, 2024

Use it to share updates, special events, or new menu items. Your posts can serve as mini-ads for your restaurant, and they appear when customers search for your business. For example, you can promote your seasonal dishes or happy hour specials. Remember that your Google Business profile isn't just a static listing.

Book 195

Book Marketing Email Marketing Social Media 195

EATER

MARCH 14, 2025

This year, Del Taco is offering three seafood specials through April 23, which Del Taco president Tom Rose calls the perfect combo for Lent season. And though Popeyes serves seafood year round, its offering a shrimp tacklebox and a fried flounder sandwich for Lent. Arbys has a limited time menu of crispy fish sandwiches.

Seasonal Menu 273

Seasonal Menu Dietary Restrictions Catering Social Media 273

Modern Restaurant Management

AUGUST 16, 2021

We all had contests for our staff where the goal is to sell the most specials/most wine/most desserts, etc. One of the fine dining operations that I consult with had a contest for selling the most chef specials, with the prize being that the chef would personally make the winner any item on the menu for dinner. Lesson Learned.

Front of House 520

Front of House Cash Management Back of House Hiring 520

EATER

APRIL 21, 2025

The crackle and pop of a sun-kissed golden layer of crispy tahdig, in its final moments above a steady flame, ready for its debut with a strong flick of the wrist onto a silver serving tray. The cafe serves unpretentious, intentionally minimal Iranian sandwiches like zaban (tounge) and kuku (herb frittata) on barbari flatbread.

Back of House 270

Back of House Seasonal Menu 2000 Serving 270

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 31, 2021

The pandemic has required many facilities in the service industry to pare down the number of guests they can serve in public spaces simultaneously — but that doesn’t mean they must forfeit on establishing personal connections. They can, for instance: Offer box lunch specials for pickup by those working from home.

Customer Service 474

Customer Service Customer Experience Online Ordering Hospitality 474

Modern Restaurant Management

AUGUST 19, 2020

Alonso Castañeda , VP of Brand Development & Strategy for Savory Restaurant Fund, will discuss how the brands he works with have been able to take advantage of the current landscape to creatively serve customers. ” Duff & Phelps served as financial advisor to Sun Capital Partners, Inc. Creating a Face-Pay Network.

Kitchen Safety 515

Kitchen Safety Loyalty Program Delivery Customer Service 515

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 7, 2020

. “I’ve been telling friends that after three months of social-distancing,“ said Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, “The first thing I want is to sit at a restaurant table and have someone serve me a turkey club and fries.” Bar seating will be removed and reconfigured to allow six feet between bar stools.

Food Safety 511

Food Safety Front of House Back of House Seating 511

Modern Restaurant Management

MARCH 17, 2021

After displaying the restaurant name and logo, there’s more work to do to incorporate smaller restaurant signs around the business to promote specials, new menus, hours, etc. They are compact in size but serve as a good starting point to advertise your restaurant. Outdoor Restaurant Signs. This is done with indoor signs.

Outdoor 493

Outdoor Point of Sale Design Customer Experience 493

Modern Restaurant Management

AUGUST 25, 2020

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? Offer special meals for dinnertime or 15-minute meal kits that require minimal assemble and make times.

Seasonal Menu 493

Seasonal Menu Outdoor Customer Service Catering 493

ChowNow

MAY 30, 2025

If youve got a big outdoor patio, maybe a summer evening special event is the best move. It could be a fall-inspired cocktail, a one-week burger special, or a collab dish made with a local farm or bakery. This works especially well if you serve photogenic food or drinks (bonus points for mouth-watering images). Ice Cream Month.

Ordering 195

Ordering Loyalty Program Social Media Email Marketing 195

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 1, 2024

Serving fresh, delicious, and well-prepared food can make a big difference in how customers perceive your restaurant. A warm greeting, attentive service, and a willingness to accommodate special requests can significantly enhance customer satisfaction. Food quality Food quality plays a big role in your customer’s experience.

Customer Experience 397

Customer Experience 2024 Online Ordering Customer Service 397

Lavu

OCTOBER 13, 2023

It is calculated by dividing the number of guests served by the number of tables available during that time period. For example, if a restaurant has 10 tables and serves 30 guests in a four-hour period, its table turnover would be 3. This should include all tables available for seating customers.

Seating 174

Seating Mobile Ordering Customer Service Online Ordering 174

The Rail

JANUARY 15, 2025

Look for underutilized corners, walls, or other spaces that could serve additional purposes, such as hosting extra storage, decorative elements, or seating options. Another key point is using slim chairs that allow more seating without crowding. Wall-mounted fixtures can serve dual purposes.

Outdoor 130

Outdoor Seating Customer Service Customer Experience 130

ChowNow

JANUARY 23, 2025

Theyll love the exclusiveness of the meal and the opportunity to eat food that would typically not be served in your restaurant. Youll provide guests with printed pairing notesa list of each drink, the order in which theyll be served, and the flavor profiles for each wine or beer so customers can follow along as their guide speaks.

Events 195

Events Seasonal Menu Social Media Customer Experience 195

Modern Restaurant Management

AUGUST 10, 2021

Some have been giving a special, one-off payment to new recruits, while others have provided free starters or drinks to those who sign up for interviews. If patrons are dining in, they can simply include a table number when they place their order so that the food can be brought to where they are seated.

Ordering 592

Ordering Recruiting Food Order Employee Relations 592

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

In many cases, operators have pared down their menus in order to cut back on costs while still serving their guest favorites. With patio season coming to an end and indoor seating capacity compromised, it’s never too early to have a Plan B (or C or D, at this point). Stay Alert. Alter Course if You Need To.

Supplies 492

Supplies Seasonal Menu Back of House Delivery 492

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 9, 2021

Wow visuals on the plate and in the dining room, wow views from every seat, wow service, and of course – wow flavors on the plate. Chefs, managers, and owners should live by a simple rule – “If you are not serving the guest directly then it is your job to serve those who are.”

Front of House 474

Front of House Customer Experience Dine-in Training 474

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 1, 2019

The funny thing is that these small businesses – in this case – restaurants – cannot survive on that once-a-year recognition, or even the occasional special event. Don’t they understand how much more special the experience will be in this little bistro with two people in the kitchen, a bartender and two servers?

Small Business 489

Small Business Customer Experience Customer Service Seasonal Menu 489

7 Shifts

NOVEMBER 15, 2024

How do you prepare your team for special events or holiday rushes? Can you give an example of how you’ve managed a large event or special occasion at a restaurant? As a restaurant manager, how do you prepare your team for special events or holiday rushes? How do you handle situations where an employee is underperforming?

Leadership 195

Leadership Management Management Operations 195

Culinary Cues

APRIL 1, 2024

Past maintenance and the boiler room of massive furnaces providing heat and hot water for twenty some odd floors of guest rooms and eighteen banquet rooms ranging in size from twenty seat board rooms to two-thousand seat ballrooms, and the three restaurants that grace the main lobby. Couldn’t you assign this to one of our other cooks?

Back of House 421

Back of House Kitchen Safety Hotels Front of House 421

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 20, 2022

The 1950s saw the birth of the first idealized vending machine , an enormous construction made of metal and glass that served thousands of city-dwellers each day and night. The machine served sandwiches, wine, and coffee, and was considered a great success. No waiters, just steaming plates and a glass door that's opened by a coin.

Mobile Ordering 537

Mobile Ordering Food Order Employee Relations Customer Service 537

7 Shifts

JULY 10, 2020

Stay tuned for a few special tips from Melissa Bensky, one of Toronto’s most prolific foodgrammers with her account, @tastethesix. Set a goal for your restaurant’s grand opening—whether it’s seating capacity, an order volume, or revenue for your first day back in business. 1 Set goals for the event ?? Plan your staffing ?????

Events 351

Events Social Media Kitchen Safety Seating 351

Modern Restaurant Management

MAY 10, 2021

With new liberties awarded to restaurants this year, there is further opportunity to elevate your takeout offerings by providing alcohol to go; wine pairings and takeout cocktails will serve to upgrade and differentiate your restaurant’s takeout service. Differentiated Dining. Live music? Unique photo opportunities in your space?

Food Safety 487

Food Safety Customer Experience Customer Service Entertainment 487

Restaurant Business

JUNE 11, 2025

Perkins, the 68-year-old chain best known for its bakery case, recently began serving boba and frozen margaritas, while its younger sibling Huddle House, 61, is rolling out smash burgers. They specialize in breakfast staples, homestyle favorites and homey atmospheres—Perkins largely in the Midwest and East Coast and Huddle House in the South.

Fast Casual 167

Fast Casual Front of House Back of House Leadership 167

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 25, 2022

This iconic issue serves as a roadmap for innovation, providing menu developers with ideas for in-market implementation. Savory Hand Pies : Concepts specializing in hand pies have revved up the engines of innovation around empanadas, meat pies, pasties, puffs and more.

2022 450

2022 Menu Social Media Innovation 450

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants everywhere are working to safely serve customers, while also creating an atmosphere that leaves patrons with a positive and memorable dining experience. As restaurants continue to navigate limited indoor dining capacity and customers wary to dine indoors, some are expanding into outdoor spaces.

Outdoor 474

Outdoor Customer Experience Dine-in Seating 474

7 Shifts

JULY 16, 2021

Do they serve just coffee or small foods as well? Do they have indoor seating or are they takeout-only? These elements include the following: Number of guests you expect to serve in a day. Seating capacity. Coffee shop with seating: $80,000 to $300,000. But, don't limit your research to just that! Liquor License.

License 459

License Hiring Equipment Small Business 459

7 Shifts

NOVEMBER 1, 2022

Maybe it's how you cook or serve the food, like at Benihana. Knowing they have a lunch special on Wednesdays is invaluable knowledge and can inform your decision-making. This is where special offers, newsletters, and SMS marketing can come in handy. Strong statements don't just list goals but define how to achieve them.

Seating 221

Seating Email Marketing Marketing SEO 221

7 Shifts

AUGUST 26, 2019

Restaurant revenue management is defined as selling the right seat to the right customer at the right price and for the right dura­tion."— Sure, you may have a certain number of seats, but service duration is variable. If you're under capacity, demand is low with lots of available seating. What is Restaurant Revenue Management?

Management 408

Management Management Airlines Customer Service 408