Money, money, money. It’s part of what makes the holiday season so challenging and fraught with anxiety for so many people — small business owners and restaurateurs especially. Even if you’ve just had the best year of business yet, profit margins are small and the coming months are looking unpredictable. And then there’s bonuses. A
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The Green Doggy Bag: Eco-Friendly Restaurant Take-Out Containers
Waste is a major problem for restaurants of all sizes across America. This doesn’t just hurt your bottom line — as every ounce of food thrown away is a combination of ingredients you paid for — it’s also a major issue for the environment. Modern consumers are looking for businesses that are thoughtful in how
The Why and How to Playing Music in Your Restaurant
You think it’s going to be great. Nothing to compete with conversation or to distract from the food. People will be able to hear each other and they’ll thank you for it. They might even leave you a glowing review. “Why can’t all restaurants be like this one? Hurrah!” Then, reality sets in. Silence, believe
Putting Your Best Grape Forward: Developing Your Restaurant Wine List
It’s no secret that a wine list can be both a significant revenue stream and a customer draw for a restaurant. How thoughtfully a restaurant compiles and presents their list can determine whether or not a customer orders a bottle, opts for other beverages, or even chooses another establishment. While there is no right or
Supersize Me: Should Your Restaurant Add a Drive Thru?
Whether thinking of renovating an existing building or moving into a new one, the topic of drive thrus often come up with restaurant owners looking for ways to change up their business. For restaurants that can make it work, drive thrus can bring in big profit, especially in communities that rely on driving for their
Fixe-r Upper: Prix Fixe Menus in Restaurants
No matter whether you’ve been running a restaurant for years or just starting one up, the idea of a prix fixe menu will probably come up at some point. Prix fixe (literally in French: “fixed price”) is a type of menu that features a set multiple-course list at a set single price, without the option
So You Wanna Cater: Expanding Your Restaurant into Catering
When a restaurant starts getting more and more popular, it’s natural for management to start thinking of options for expansion. For some it’s a food truck. For others, it’s a second brick-and-mortar location. But for many, it’s expanding their service to catering. There are a few ways to go about easing into the catering business
Thanks, but No Thanks: Should Your Restaurant Stay Open for Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is a special — and hectic — time of the year for everyone. As the official start of the holiday season, Thanksgiving is also one of those days that can be difficult for those in the restaurant industry to know what to do with. Should you stay open for the day? Will you lose
Great Employees and Management Potential: How to Tell the Difference
Any manager worth their salt is always on the lookout for potential. Whether it’s during hiring, training, or over the course of an employment, astute restaurant managers look for those telltale signs that someone could rise to the top, if given the chance. In a corporate structure (or even in a small business setting), identifying
Maître D’ 101: 10 Tasks Critical to Successful Restaurant Hosting
Every job in your restaurant is difficult. There are no exceptions. Serving food, cooking, cleaning, managing staff, and handling 100 different variations of customer service are all particularly challenging jobs. They all require the patient disposition of a saint and the focused speed of a demon. But being the host, hostess, or maître d’ at a full
