General

You’ve already, at least once, taken the steps to open a restaurant. But when you go to establish a second (or third) restaurant, it will require a few additional tasks that you didn’t have to complete the first time around.

We’re going to outline each of the five steps that you must take to open a new location.

Amidst a world reshaped by the pandemic, shifting labor markets, and changing consumer behaviors, restaurant proprietors are increasingly embracing technological advancements. These often inconspicuous yet profoundly impactful innovations are quietly revolutionizing culinary practices and guest interactions.

A dishwasher in restaurant kitchens is the backbone of back-of-house operations. You want to be able to service customers quickly without straining your staff too much. The cost of commercial dishwasher units will repay themselves multiple times over.

Trust and loyalty in the restaurant industry is hard-earned. Consumers are accustomed to their favorite restaurants switching owners, chefs leaving and quality varying. You must build customer trust through the actions you take.

Restaurant reviews online are the gateway to gaining customers. Over 90% of patrons look for reviews for eateries before they go to one. If you have bad reviews, it will be looked at negatively by customers, but you’re bound to have one or two people who are unhappy with your service.

And if you ignore the ramifications of poor reviews, it can have a negative impact on your sales.

Shortages during the pandemic found over 96% of operators had either supply shortages or delays. If you’re a pizza and rib restaurant, and you have no ribs, imagine what happens to your eatery’s reputation. You’ll be left with a lot of unhappy customers who don’t understand the supply chain of a restaurant – at all. While you only have so much control over your supply chain, you can take proactive steps to help deal with future issues. We're going to outline key steps that you can take to lower the risk of restaurant supply chain issues impacting your company.

Gratuity and tips are often confused. As a consumer, you’re more concerned about having to pay more for the service that you receive than anything else. However, there’s a major difference between the two.

What are the differences?

Restaurant owners and managers need to know the legal ramifications of charging automatic gratuities and what it means for their establishments.

Local store marketing ideas for restaurants haven’t changed – much – in the last year. You'll find plenty of opportunities to promote your eatery to locals this year. And with digital still being a must-have form of marketing, you’ll want to spend a lot of time working on your offline marketing.

We're going to share some great local marketing ideas that will help you attract new customers this year.

Want to grow your restaurant this year? Restaurant sustainability may be the key. An estimated 70% of diners care about how their food is sourced, according to the National Restaurant Association. More than 1 in 4 consumers also say that they would pay more for sustainable food.

There are 1.13 billion websites, and this figure grows every day. If you want to build a restaurant website, you need to make it stand out. Your potential customers need to be able to look at your eatery’s menu and operating hours, and maybe have the option to order.

You can hire someone to design a custom site for you, or you can use a website builder for restaurants.

A glass froster or glass chiller is all about presentation – and a little bit of cooling, too. If you sell beer or high-end alcoholic drinks, you’ll appreciate the functionality that frosters offer you. We're going to review some of the best models to consider buying in 2024.

Building an in-house online ordering system is unrealistic for most restaurants, and there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel either. You’ll find dozens of pre-built solutions that will work just fine for your eatery.

In this article, we’re going to review the best online food ordering systems in 2024.

Restaurant public relations remain a crucial marketing component at a time when there are more restaurants and options than ever before. You need to do a little bit of everything, from having a presence online and content marketing to hosting events and working with charities.

And when restaurant public relations work, it helps create a loyal customer base that keeps coming back to your eatery.

If you’re trying to find public relations event ideas for 2024, the list below can help you get started.

Are you redesigning or building a new website for your restaurant in the coming year? If so, it’s crucial to make sure you’re giving visitors the best possible online experience before visiting your establishment.

In fact, research shows that 77% of diners visit a restaurant’s website before they dine in or order takeout. 

While your site should be a reflection of your brand and its image, there are some features that the best restaurant websites in 2024 share.

A beer dispenser is one of the best investments you can make in your bar. Customers prefer draft beer over bottled or canned. Why? Because draft beer is fresher.

Freshness has a significant impact on the flavor of the beer.

But to keep the drinks flowing, you need to invest in a quality beer dispenser. Self-contained units have built-in refrigeration to keep your kegs at just the right temperature for serving.

Advertising ideas are often “short-term,” even when they work well. You rarely see door-to-door salesmen like you did in the past, but at one time, they were responsible for the rapid growth of some of the largest companies in the world.

Many business advertising ideas have ceased due to the rise of Google, Facebook and online channels. PPC, ad buys and SEO dominate the marketing landscape in 2023.

How much food waste do restaurants produce? In total, the US restaurant industry wastes 22 – 33 billion pounds of food. Putting this figure into perspective, in total weight, restaurants are tossing 27 million cows, weighing 1,200 pounds each, in the trash each year.

Food waste in the restaurant industry is a growing problem, but there are solutions that can help you start reducing this waste. You can help the environment and also reduce your overhead by getting full control of your inventory.

Shopping cart abandonment is a top concern for any e-commerce store owner, especially those who have just launched a new shop. Cart abandonment occurs when shoppers add items to their carts but never go through the checkout process.

For store owners, abandonment can be frustrating, and it can have far-reaching consequences. The good news is that you can take steps to reduce shopping cart abandonment and boost sales.

An organized bar is an efficient bar. Everything from the layout of your space to the bar organizers you install will have an impact on how quickly your bartenders can serve customers. But which bar organizers are ideal for your space?

First, it’s important to understand what you need and the types of organizers available. Then, we’ll take a closer look at some of our most popular organizers.

Restaurants remain in a period of flux, adapting to the ever-changing behaviors of consumers who demand fast service, top-quality food, the perfect atmosphere and more ordering options than you can count.

If you’re struggling to retain patrons or attract them to begin with, a prix fixe menu may be a way to lure in guests.

Coffee AI is already shaking up the world of coffee, but chances are, the advancements are a bit different than what you imagine. Coffee has been around since at least the 15th century, but its true origins are unknown.

Pure, delicious coffee beans are cultivated worldwide, and as enthusiasts will agree, there’s no room for artificial flavors. What there is room for with AI coffee is forecasting to ensure that growers can: invest better, produce greater yields, enjoy larger harvests.

Want to increase your bar profit margins? You need the right strategy – and proper management. Bar sales naturally have higher profit margins compared to food sales and there’s little overhead. 

In fact, the average beer and wine bar profit margin is 10-15%. 

But there’s always room for improvement.

Every restaurant needs shelving. From ingredients to dishware, storage shelves help keep your restaurant organized. But what kind of shelving should you choose? 

It’s important to find a solution that works for your restaurant and your kitchen layout. To help you make the right decision, we’re going to share storage shelves reviews of our top shelves and some points to keep in mind when comparing your options.