Every restaurateur has been through the baptism by fire known as Opening Night. Those who have survived can testify to the nerve-racking experience of preparing menu items for the first time for a dining room full of people. Many hopeful entrepreneurs have had their dreams realized or crushed on opening …
Read More »Yearly Archives: 2010
Text Message Ordering: Why Your Customers Already Love It
One of the biggest shifts in customer behavior over the past few years has been the preference for take-out food. All the major national chains (Applebee’s, Chili’s, etc. etc.) have added drive-up service for their customers. And I’ve written on this blog about taking your restaurant’s food out, whether it …
Read More »How To Take Restaurant Marketing Underground
Since last August, when I first posted about the blossoming underground fine dining scene in San Francisco, the phenomenon has grown exponentially and started spreading up and down the west coast. From Vancouver to L.A., chefs are ditching the kitchens of established restaurants and setting off on their own, and …
Read More »If It Makes Sense For McDonald’s, It Probably Makes Sense For You
McDonald’s has been an increasingly lone bright spot in the dark world of food service during a recession. Sales are up, new restaurant layouts appeal to a wide range of customers, and Starbucks has a serious competitor on their hands. McDonald’s success can be attributed to a lot of things, …
Read More »What To Watch For In 2010
About this time every year the food service industry starts buzzing about the trends that will shape consumer preferences and affect business in the next 12 months. We are lucky enough (or unlucky, depending on how you view it) to be in the midst of a transition period for many …
Read More »