Designing the Ideal Restaurant
That is good and does good. Mark Bittman, a journalist and author who is perhaps most known for inspiring people to cook at home, is looking for backers for a new kind of restaurant. It’s a concept that he argues has never been done before. Bittman has spent decades writing for The New York Times and other publications about cooking and what he sees as a broken food system. He has written 30 books, including the “How to Cook Everything” series, and the most recent “Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal.” But the author in a recent column in The Guardian said he’s tired of waiting for the restaurant industry to change. Now he wants to help instigate that change, or at least create a model for how it could be done. The idea is to design a restaurant that will be called Community Kitchen, said Bittman, in an interview with Restaurant Business. This new concept will be built around four primary values:
- It will offer healthy, delicious food.
- That food will be sourced from farms that follow planet-friendly practices.
- Workers will be paid fairly, up and down the food chain.
- And prices will be accessible to all.
These are disruptive challenges that some in the industry have attempted to tackle, to some degree, but no one has done it all, Bittman contends. There are restaurants where workers are treated well, but the food may be junk, for example, or places that support regenerative farming but offer food that is unaffordable to most people.
10 Strategies to Design Your Restaurant for Carryout and Deliveries
How restaurants can make the most of these offerings to expand their businesses. The carryout and delivery market is worth billions of dollars and is only growing, so industry professionals should design their restaurants around it. Packaging, order accuracy and flow are common major pain points they can focus on. Even minor changes can increase sales and customer loyalty. (i) Optimize the Kitchen Layout. North America’s online food delivery market had a value of over $2.62 billion in 2021, with industry experts projecting it to reach over $53 billion by 2027. Professionals that haven’t already restructured their kitchens in response should start. Flow to crucial areas should be optimized to make it easier for carryout and delivery orders to get out as quickly as possible. A galley, island or zone layout could be added depending on the available space. (ii) Create a Dedicated Waiting Area. Restaurants should have a dedicated waiting area for third-party delivery drivers and customers picking up their carryout orders. Often, these people end up standing in front of the counter until their food is ready, discouraging others from coming up and ordering. This can distract the hostesses or servers from effectively doing their jobs. Redesigning the restaurant with a waiting area could minimize this pain point and improve sales. Experts project restaurants could increase profits by 50 percent with a significant interior renovation. (iii) Separate the Packaging Area. A separate order-packaging area for carryout and delivery is essential to maintain accuracy and timeliness. It should have packaging, condiments, utensils and napkins in one place so workers can quickly fulfill the order. There should also be a dedicated area to place finished orders so those coming in to pick up can see their food is ready.
Bielat Santore & Company – Restaurant Industry Alert
FULL-SERVICE MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ – RESTAURANT & BAR FOR SALE
ASKING PRICE REDUCED BY $100K FOR QUICK SALE!
Photo used to illustrate a “Restaurant/Bar” and not actual representation.
Well-maintained Monmouth County, NJ restaurant and bar; highly visible highway location w/average traffic count = 20,000 +/- cars per day; 180 seats + 20 at bar; additional 50 outdoor seats; paved parking lot with 38 spaces; operating business with liquor license grossing $22k+/week; business only open 5 days/week for dinner only; unlimited potential for new owner/operator.
For detailed information contact Richard Santore, 732-531-4200.
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Creating Vibrant Visual Palettes for Restaurants
What is your process for approaching a restaurant project? Multidisciplinary designer Marissa Zajack is deeply passionate about food and the art of dining. “I seize every opportunity to intertwine my design expertise with the restaurant industry,” she said. “My fascination lies in crafting exceptional experiences for diners, be it through captivating branding concepts or innovative interior design.” One recent effort is Funke, the newly opened Beverly Hills restaurant from Chef Evan Funke. Zajack brought the chef’s creative vision to life through her branding and graphic design. Her portfolio includes an eclectic mix of residential, restaurant, and bar design to branding for high profile artists, films, and television shows. She is known for infusing each project with her creative use of form, color, pattern, and texture, showcasing her experience across artistic media. As principal designer for restaurant Red Herring, top photo, Zajack created an energetic and refined design, infusing a bold palette with elegant finishes and furnishings throughout the establishment, as well as the branding and graphic design. Zajack recently spoke with Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine about her projects, design vision and journey. First and foremost, it is essential for me to grasp the very essence of the chef’s vision. Understanding the ethos behind their culinary philosophy allows us to create an immersive dining experience that truly transports the diner into the chef’s world. My design is intended to harmoniously coexist with the chef’s vision, seamlessly enhancing the overall dining experience.
Restaurants Are Shifting Their Attention Back To Local Marketing
Emphasizing community connection. In the dynamic and ever-competitive restaurant industry, there is an observable trend toward reconnecting with local communities. More restaurants are now refocusing their marketing strategies on local audiences. This shift reflects an understanding of the value of local marketing, including customer loyalty, brand recognition, and community engagement. Here’s a quick look into why this shift is happening. Local marketing connects restaurants to their immediate communities, fostering a sense of trust and personal engagement. This connection is essential for customer retention and promotes word-of-mouth referrals, one of the most potent forms of advertising. Restaurants are tapping into local influencers, events, and locally sourced products to increase their community presence and relevance. Search engine optimization (SEO) has become a critical component of the marketing strategy for businesses, including restaurants. With local SEO, restaurants ensure that they appear in local search results when potential customers look for dining options in their area. Google My Business listings, location-based keywords, and positive customer reviews are critical in optimizing local SEO. This approach helps increase visibility, drive foot traffic, and improve online reservations.
Workplace Misconduct: Keeping it Off the Menu
Harassment and other toxic behaviors are costly to companies, financially and reputationally. More sexual harassment claims are filed in the restaurant industry than in any other. Up to 90 percent of women and 70 percent of men in the industry report experiencing sexual harassment, according to Sexual Harassment Is Pervasive in the Restaurant Industry. Here’s What Needs to Change, a 2018 article in the Harvard Business Review by Stefanie K. Johnson and Juan M. Madera. With a reputation for crude “kitchen talk” coupled with “the customer is always right” mentality, the restaurant industry is rife with risk factors that make it particularly susceptible to workplace misconduct. How can industry employers identify and mitigate the risk factors related to harassment? To help you get started, we will discuss some of the harassment risks common in the restaurant industry and provide some compliance-based principles towards mitigating these risks. Responsible businesses prioritize the safety and welfare of their employees. Preventing harassment and other toxic behaviors helps further that mission. A 2022 article in the Villanova Law Review by Susan R. Fiorentino and Sandra M. Tomkowicz, reports that victims of harassment and toxic workplace conduct experience increased stress and anxiety, and exhibit burnout, distraction, and disengagement. Such conditions negatively impact performance, overall productivity, and customer service, contribute to turnover, and present challenges to retention and recruitment.
Three Ways Covid Changed the Restaurant Industry
Here’s how things have changed. In March 2020, many US restaurants had to shut their doors during the early days of the Covid pandemic in accordance with local restrictions. Now, over three years later, the restaurant industry is back. But the pandemic ushered in some changes that are here to stay. In the early days of the pandemic, people got used to eating their restaurant food at home. Today, they’re back in restaurant dining rooms — but still prefer to get meals via the drive-thru, a pickup window or delivery more than they did before. Meanwhile, restaurants are adapting not only to changing consumer behaviors, but to new industry conditions, like a drop in available workers after many exited the sector in recent years. Dining rooms are shrinking or disappearing. Before the pandemic hit, Esther Choi’s Korean restaurant, Mŏkbar, in Manhattan had counter seats for 20. Now, those seats are gone. “After the pandemic is when I decided, we’re just going to do quick service,” Choi told chef Bobby Flay in an episode of “The Whole Story” with Anderson Cooper, on how restaurants are adapting to the new reality. The episode airs Sunday, August 13 at 8 PM ET on CNN. That decision has led to rising sales, she said. Mŏkbar has also continued to sell meals that customers can reheat at home and delivers meal kits and kimchi nationally. “I revisited the whole model of the business,” said Choi.
Restaurants and Supermarkets Are Brawling Over Your Dollar
Restaurants aim to defend their turf. Supermarkets and restaurants are ramping up their tug of war for Americans’ stretched food budgets. Grocery chains are revamping prepared meals in delis and buffets, expanding menus and offering more discounts, seeing a chance to woo diners away from restaurants. Retail executives say that U.S. consumers have gotten more discerning about eating out, an opportunity for grocers to offer potentially cheaper, faster alternatives. “There’s been resistance from the consumer for the prices that they were paying at restaurants,” said Mark Van Buskirk, who oversees merchandising at Save Mart Cos. The California-based retailer has introduced a new line of gourmet sandwiches and added more packaged meals in recent months. “We think we have an advantage,” he said. Restaurants are fighting back, designing new menu items that they say would be tough to replicate at home. Executives at Chipotle Mexican Grill CMG 0.22%increase; green up pointing triangle, Domino’s Pizza and Taco Bell-parent Yum Brands YUM -0.95%decrease; red down pointing triangle dismiss the idea that cash-strapped consumers will give up professionally prepared meals for food made at a grocery store or in their own kitchens. “My kids are like, ‘You are putting chicken on the grill, why don’t you just get Chipotle?’” the chain’s chief executive, Brian Niccol, said in an interview. “I don’t know what they are saying about my grilling technique.”
Using a Credit Card?
At these restaurants it’ll cost you. As inflation and high credit card fees continue to affect a restaurant’s bottom line, more owners are tacking on a new charge for using a credit card. Last year, when food prices rose along with so many other costs, José Theoktisto began to think about how to lower operating expenses at the Venezuelan restaurant he runs in upstate New York. He worked with different suppliers, and he raised menu prices. Then he took a closer look at his statements and found that he was paying $2,000 a month in credit card fees. “They pile fees on top of fees, on top of fees,” Mr. Theoktisto said about credit card processing companies. He said that he normally pays 4 percent per transaction when someone uses an electronic payment method, but that he also has to cover other charges related to credit cards, like a fee for when a customer uses a card from another country. In January, he decided that instead of raising prices, he would add a 4 percent convenience fee to the bills of customers who pay by credit card. He is just one of an increasing number of restaurant owners adopting these policies as inflation cuts into his bottom line and credit card fees rise. Mr. Theoktisto said that since he and his wife opened Oh Corn! Arepas about seven years ago near Troy, N.Y., the number of customers using electronic payments has increased from 50 percent to 90 percent. He is not alone.
Did You Know?
12 tips for working effectively with seasonal employees. In every business, managing seasonal employees effectively is crucial for maximizing productivity during peak periods. These temporary staffers often bring unique challenges, especially in terms of training, motivation, and integration into the regular team. However, there are various strategies that can help you get the most out of this diverse talent pool. From clear communication to offering incentives and flexibility in scheduling, these tips will provide insights on how to utilize your seasonal employees more efficiently and effectively. Dive in to discover valuable approaches for working seamlessly with your short-term workforce.
Employee Tip
My recent hire didn’t work out. Do I still have to pay them for training? While it’s disappointing your cook didn’t work out, making a bad decision doesn’t get you out of paying for training a hire that will not be a good fit. The U.S. Department of Labor’s wage and hour laws are clear with regard to paid training: “When your employees participate in required training, whether on site or online, that time must be recorded, and paid for. They also must be paid for any time spent in training while they shadow experienced employees or do anything else related to their current jobs.”