Like it or not, small business owners like many in the food service industry are experiencing a period of drastic change labor laws. As health care reform becomes a reality, several other projects championed by Democratic lawmakers will start nudging their way back to the top of the agenda – …
Read More »This Isn’t Your Mother’s Happy Hour
The happy hour has long been the domain of college bars, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, and after-work watering holes. These establishments always understood a cardinal rule in driving business: a busy place is a place people want to be, and the easiest way to fill up a bar or dining room early …
Read More »Is There Money To Be Made After Hours?
The 24/7 lifestyle has been creeping further and further into American cities over the course of this decade. People are out later more frequently, and many restaurants, especially in urban centers, are responding by catering to late night diners. If done right, the late night scene can energize your restaurant …
Read More »New York City Health Department Finds Menu Labeling Affects Consumer Behavior
Nutrition information on menus is a trend in food service that doesn’t seem to be going away. Legislation is still working its way through Congress that would require menu labeling. In the meantime, New York City has had its own menu labeling law for fast food chains in place for …
Read More »Standardized Coding for Restaurant Products. It’s about time!
Maybe you missed the announcement by the National Restaurant Association, GS1 US and the IFDA concerning the new initiative for standardized labeling of restaurant industry products, or maybe you saw it and overlooked the potential impact it could have on your restaurant. The rest of the planet already has retail …
Read More »Use Edible Scraps To Create Restaurant Family Meals
The “restaurant family meal” is a central event in many well-run restaurants. Just before the dinner rush front of house and back of house staff gather to enjoy a well-cooked meal prepared by the chef. The family meal is a great way to foster positive interaction and a feeling of …
Read More »Are You Ready For Flu Season?
Personally, if I never hear another story about H1N1 (swine) flu again, I’ll die a happy man. Unfortunately, the grim reality is everyone is going to have to take steps to combat the spread of flu this winter, and restaurants are no exception. Organizations like the National Restaurant Association are …
Read More »Restaurant Management: Use Creative Compensation Strategies
As if you didn’t have enough on your plate trying to keep your restaurant’s head above water this year, some in the food service industry are starting to talk more and more about changing some basic assumptions about employee compensation. The traditional model has been to pay your kitchen by …
Read More »The Struggle Between Art and Efficiency
Great Lakes pizza, on Chicago’s north side, has been getting A LOT of press lately. The tiny pizzeria has only been around for a little over a year, but in that time the reputation of owners Nick Lessins and Lydia Esparza has catapulted Great Lakes into one of the hottest …
Read More »20 Restaurant Marketing Tips
Here at The Back Burner we try to provide as many resources as possible for your success. Over the past six months we have published a treasure trove of restaurant marketing tips that can help you get more butts in seats. I don’t have to tell you that it’s been …
Read More »