Chi-Chi’s Salsa. Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs. College Inn Chicken Broth. Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pies. You’ve seen them all at your local grocery store, but did you know that each of these familiar products (and hundreds more) originated as extensions of their original brand, the full service restaurant? In some ways, building out a retail
Low Key Ways to Make Your Restaurant Family Friendly
No matter the main demographic of your restaurant, you should always anticipate the occasional young family coming in to dine with you. Whether it’s their one special night out or a lunch break in the middle of errands, adult diners dining alongside their children just want one thing — for the meal to go smoothly. And
Buy or Lease? How to Know What’s Right for Your Restaurant
It’s not controversial to say that owning a restaurant is a very expensive proposition. There is an enormous amount of expense and a very thin profit margin — often as little as 5 percent — so managing every cost down to the penny is critical for success. This is especially true for restaurants just starting
Keep Your Eyes Open: Customer Scams and Theft in Restaurants
Yesterday, we discussed the ways employees could potentially steal from the restaurants where they work. Unfortunately, staff members are not the only ones walking into your restaurant looking to take advantage of you. When it comes to both diners and vendors, standing up to scams and theft needs to be done with extreme care. After
How to Catch a Thief in Your Restaurant
Theft among employees is a topic no restaurant owner wants to think about. You want to take pride in the staff you’ve hired. The idea that they could be hurting the business behind your back to benefit themselves is an unpleasant one. And for every dishonest person out there in the job market, there are
Success Story: M Restaurant
Consumer tastes aren’t the only things changing these days — restaurants need to constantly expand their menus, services — and even space — to ensure they remain competitive in the market. M Restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, knows that all too well, as they began an ongoing process of expansion back in 2011 that continues to this day!
Spinning Plates: How M Restaurant in Philadelphia Does It All
Restaurant owners have a lot on their plates – from keeping operations running smoothly and motivating a hard-working team, to balancing finances with short and long term improvement plans. Imagine then adding these to the list: running a hotel and photography business, maintaining a historic building and patio garden, growing your own organic produce from
Don’t Let Your Take-out Take You Out: Tips for Restaurants
Whether you’ve been doing it for years or are just looking at new revenue streams today, savvy restaurateurs know there are few things that drive more sales — and with such relatively little effort — as a take-out menu. The demand is irrefutable. According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), 34 percent of consumers say
Millennial Employees: How to Effectively Manage the Next Generation
Millennials are now the majority of the US workforce and many employers still don’t quite know what makes them tick. Hiring managers across all industries are asking: How can I find and manage millennial employees? In this mini-eBook, we offer five best practices for breaking down the tension between workplace generations and setting expectations for
Restaurant Marketing Strategies for Slow Times
The ability to turn a profit at any restaurant depends on one thing and one thing only: Filling seats. So when you have a full staff, a kitchen full of food, and no one in your dining room, it’s time to get creative. We have five restaurant marketing strategies that can fill in the gaps
