One question entrepreneurs, investors, operators, and lenders wrestle with constantly is whether a hot new idea is a concept or merely a product, and how the latter might be transformed into the former. Consumers wrestle with this question, too; as the final arbiters, They've cast some surprising votes in both directions.  Let's acknowledge from the outset that some decisions are easier than others. Despite being identified with a…

Dining experience

Last night after dinner was finished, the usual question was asked – “how do you make this dining experience look so casual and easy?”

Well, I said I usually sit down, have a cup of coffee, a few Amaretti biscuits and start to think.

First I plan a three course menu I would like to prepare and then I write down all the ingredients I require. Preparation takes the longest time. Three days before,I do the purchasing and when I have everything together I…

It’s easy to get caught up in the social media hype and feel as though your bar or restaurant is getting left behind. That being said, many bars and restaurants seem to be using social media just to say that they are online, and they aren’t really getting anything out of it.



Social media does take some time and effort, but with that should come positive results and increased business.



The Brief:…

As owner/operator of a restaurant, if you asked one of your waiters: "what is the difference between broiled chicken and roasted chicken?' or "what is a ragout sauce?' Would you be provided with the correct answer? If not, then I highly suggest that you start teaching basic food knowledge and food preparation methods in your waiter training programs. Otherwise, precious revenue and service reputation is being lost unnecessarily everyday in your restaurant's dining room.

Most chefs…

How a 2% increase in menu prices can make a big profit improvement in profit. And when a 2% increase in customer numbers is added, the effect multiplies. How can you apply these ideas to your business?

With each passing day, more and more brands are looking to Facebook as a place of engagement and interaction with their fans. Middle West Spirits, a micro-distillery located in Columbus, Ohio, is no different. On April 25, Middle West Spirits posted a status update inviting members of the community to help bottle some of their delicious vodka.

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A tipped waiter who spends more than twenty percent of his time performing work which does not generate tips should receive the full federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and not the reduced wage for tipped employees allowed under the law, according to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.  The Court’s…

Guest Post by Dave Magrogan

CEO of Kildares Irish Pubs

“If one advances confidently in the direction of one’s dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success…

Bars cannot grow and cannot survive without having standard operating procedures, systems and policies in place. These allow owners to scale the business and figure out where their efficiencies lie and where they need to make improvements. Bar opening and closing checklists should be part of the standard operating procedure.

The opening checklist sets your staff up for the day. The staff member coming in at the start of the day can follow the…

This post continues my multi-part perspective on restaurant social media and social media brand management. The following is excerpted from my forthcoming book, Restaurant Social Media – Staying ahead of your customer.

TGI Friday’s restaurants have history. They were innovators and changed casual dining in the 1970′s. They brought us brass and plants and stain-glass in a well lighted high energy environment. They created happy hours and potato skins. They introduced…

As we get closer to Mother's Day, one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants, I am reminded of a piece of paper hanging by my desk with the following written on it.

OUR GUEST

1. Our guest is the most important person in our business.

2. Our guests are not dependent on us.

We are dependent on them.…

You may have heard about a certain royal wedding that took place last week in Great Britain (*insert sarcasm here*).

The buzz was awfully hard to avoid!  One of the girls in the FoodCALC office got especially into watching the coverage, and even went so far as to throw a “royal wedding viewing…

Come. Sit down around the camp fire faithful campers and let me tell you a tale of friendship and growth. It is a tale of a gathering of people from all walks of life, all corners and crevices of the country. It is a story of “tribe”.

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As hospitality professionals we are in the business of feeding people. Unfortunately, in today's world there are almost 17 million children who struggle with hunger on a daily basis or don't know where there next meal will come from. Thanks to Share our Strength we have an opportunity, and an obligation if you ask me, to help end childhood hunger in America. Please…

I’m wondering when a chain of full service restaurants is going to do it.  I’m certain it’s just a matter of time before one company goes against the advice of their legal counsel, pretends they are Nike and just does it.  The one that goes “all in” will reap huge rewards because the others will be too afraid to pull the trigger.  If I ran a restaurant or a chain, I’d do it tomorrow.  Yea, I know that’s easy for me to say...

I’m talking about…

My kids saw snow for the first time a few weeks ago.  We were visiting Colorado over Spring Break.  We live in Florida, so we can tell you all about humidity, heat, sunshine and afternoon thunderstorms, but snow is foreign.  Like any parent, I want my kids to have as many experiences as I can afford to provide them.  Varied experience builds character and teaches lessons.  So, I scraped together the dough for a Private Ski Instructor to spend time teaching my kids the right way to…

In an earlier article, I discussed QR Codes. I explained what they are and how they work. If you haven’t yet discovered QR Codes or are wondering how you might use them to market your restaurant, here are some ideas:

1. Take-Out Menus: Print a QR Code on table tents, front door posters or anywhere it’s appropriate. Customers scan the code and are redirected to a…