Tundra Specialties Launches Cutting Edge Digital Resource For The Food Service Industry

Information is key to success in the food service industry. Restaurant owners and managers must navigate a complex and competitive world on the path to success. Not everyone makes it, and for those that do, lessons learned the hard way are the most valuable thing they own. John Le Bel, owner of Anthony’s Pizza in Denver, CO, has learned a thing or two...

Why Secrets Make For Good Restaurant Marketing

Kansas City based casual dining concept Houlihan’s has been around for almost 40 years.  In that time they’ve seen the rise of the casual trend and a lot of ups and downs.  In the early 2000’s Houlihan’s was seeing more down than up, and a new management team was brought in to shake things up. After a comprehensive self-reinvention, Houlihan’s has enjoyed better times, even during the economic turmoil of the last couple...

Technology Trends: Restaurant Teleconferencing

The technology needed to allow a person to sit in one room and communicate visually and verbally with a person in another room somewhere else far away has been around for some time now.  It’s been imagined in the movies for decades, going back to Star Trek all the way up to Austin Powers.  But until recently teleconferencing was largely unavailable to the public. Marriott Hotels have begun to change that with state-of-the-art...

Restaurants Need To Catch Up On Technology

At the National Restaurant Association’s annual trade show last month, a lot of restaurateurs were talking about the technology gap in the food service industry.  Big chains like T.G.I.Friday’s and Hard Rock Café have already begun to introduce digital gadgetry into their restaurants as a way to connect with younger customers.  And much has been written over the last year about how the battle for customers has moved online. But...

How Tech Companies Are Competing To Help You Market Your Restaurant Locally

Marketing your restaurant online is a concept that’s relatively new to the food service industry as a whole, and is still a foreign concept to many restaurateurs.  This is not helped by the speed with which marketing channels online are moving.  By the time you set up a Facebook page, everyone’s raving about ...

Why Doesn’t Your Social Media Bring In Customers?

Meet Bob. Bob might be considered equivalent to the strategic design behind, and the effective level of marketing across your social media profiles. Let’s take Bob off the internet and put him in your dining room to see how accurately he reflects your online presence and your overall performance. You don’t view social media as an extension of your customer service; instead you look at it simply as medium for advertising. *...

Who Are Your Restaurant’s Best Friends?

Have you taken a good look at your customers lately? Look around your restaurant’s dining room and take out counter tonight. How many people do you recognize? Are there many new faces? Do you know how many have been here once before, twice before, or are old friends who come back again and again? Knowing how many of your guests are frequent, occasional or first timers is important. Why? Because this knowledge can...

Your Restaurant Struggles Are Not Unique!

Dear restaurateur, Do you sometimes feel like you have unique problems running your restaurant? Do you see other restaurants fuller than yours and you are wondering what are you doing wrong or what are they doing right that you could do as well? Do you feel like your restaurant is unique and you have unique problems that nobody else in the industry has? You’ll be surprised if I tell you that your problems, desires, wishes,...

What Are Your Restaurant’s Perks?

The Stew blog, written by the Chicago Tribune’s food beat staff, posted an interesting article recently talking about the little perks that make a restaurant meal a more pleasant experience. Some examples from the list: •    Purse hooks •    Reading glasses for older customers trying to read the menu •    Crayons and...

How Black Board Eats Helps You Control The Foodie Crowd

Ah, yes, the capricious foodie: that enigmatic character who can turn 100 people into loyal patrons with a glowing mention of your restaurant at every dinner party – or become the bane of your existence with nasty reviews on sites like Yelp or a sarcastic blog post. Especially in competitive urban markets like L.A. or New York,...