Thanksgiving is a special — and hectic — time of the year for everyone. As the official start of the holiday season, Thanksgiving is also one of those days that can be difficult for those in the restaurant industry to know what to do with. Should you stay open for the day? Will you lose
Great Employees and Management Potential: How to Tell the Difference
Any manager worth their salt is always on the lookout for potential. Whether it’s during hiring, training, or over the course of an employment, astute restaurant managers look for those telltale signs that someone could rise to the top, if given the chance. In a corporate structure (or even in a small business setting), identifying
Maître D’ 101: 10 Tasks Critical to Successful Restaurant Hosting
Every job in your restaurant is difficult. There are no exceptions. Serving food, cooking, cleaning, managing staff, and handling 100 different variations of customer service are all particularly challenging jobs. They all require the patient disposition of a saint and the focused speed of a demon. But being the host, hostess, or maître d’ at a full
What to Know About the LTO: Limited Time Offers in Restaurants
Whether you’re looking to shake things up at your restaurant or simply generate some extra profit for your bottom line, a smart (and often low-risk) opportunity is the classic LTO, or “limited time offer.” These are dishes that do not currently reside on your menu, that you can advertise as a special offering. Critical to
Getting Restaurant Nutritional Data Right for Your Menu
In May 2017, FDA guidelines will require nutritional menu labeling for specific kinds of restaurants throughout the United States. Specifically, menus should include calorie information for each item and be prepared to offer additional printed restaurant nutritional data per customer request. The restaurants that are required by law to comply are… Part of a chain
How to Choose the Best Restaurant Suppliers
Selecting the best restaurant suppliers is about much more than finding the best price. Ask yourself: Am I really working with the right vendor? We have 10 ways to recognize the total value in your restaurant suppliers, including: Reliable delivery and billing Innovative offers Promotional opportunities Connections that benefit your business Download this free list
Not So Millennial: Restaurant Food Trends for Generation Z
The term “Millennials” gets thrown around a lot when discussing any food trends that fall outside of Baby Boomer interest. And it’s easy to think of Millennials as pretty much “anyone young,” but the reality is, the majority of Millennials are now in their late twenties and early thirties, with kids of their own. Now,
10 Cardinal Rules to Managing an Irate Restaurant Customer
When managing any public space — from a full service restaurant to a corner taco stand — it is inevitable that you will come up against complaints. Consumers are justifiably particular when dining out, and not every experience you provide will be uniform or perfectly match a customer’s expectations. Mistakes happen and problems will come
Second Life: How to Start Planning for Your First Restaurant Expansion
Whenever a restaurant finds success and a solid customer base at its original location, the idea of expansion usually starts creeping into the restaurant owner’s mind. Expanding into a second location has its pros and cons, depending on the health of your business right now and the strength of the market at large. Opening a
How to Avoid Clashing with Your Restaurant Business Partner
Somewhere in-between “Two heads are better than one” and “Too many cooks spoil the broth” is the secret to a perfect restaurant partnership. As owners, it can be frustrating at times to have to deal with not just employees, vendors, and customers, but also the demands of a partner to whom you owe your loyalty
