Industry Voices

— By Russ Spencer — Strategies for restaurants in an evolving landscape. A new year symbolizes new beginnings, particularly within the restaurant industry’s evolving landscape. While some trends may persist from the previous year, Q1 presents an opportunity to reset, recalibrate and plan strategically. These include, but are not limited to, updating menu items, solving staffing challenges and implementing improved ways to reduce waste. Operators who focus on the trends shaping this year and pounce on them will get ahead of competitors and run a successful restaurant in 2024. Preparing …

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— By Glen Greenawalt — 3 hospitality employment challenges facing the industry today. It’s ironic that “Down Under,” the 1980s anthem about a group of Australians traveling the world, is by the band Men at Work. In the song, the protagonists clearly are not working — just like much of today’s working age U.S. population. What’s going on with employment trends, and how can hospitality employers get the workers needed to ensure guests get a guest experience? Here are the top three workforce challenges our team sees facing the industry …

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— By Kait Paradowski — How design and art go hand in hand when creating bespoke spaces for restaurants. In a time when all demographic groups, especially Millennials and Gen Z, are increasingly seeking authentic and immersive experiences, bespoke design is providing a meaningful connection between patron and location. Naturally, design and art go hand in hand. Whether it be a large mural or unique branding, bringing in an artistic element allows designers to tell a captivating story for the restaurant and create meaningful differentiation. When it comes to choosing …

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— By Anneliese Scherer — Forensic accounting for restaurants. Among business owners facing the highest fraud risk are restaurant owners, who are often susceptible to asset misappropriation schemes. This is where a forensic accounting expert can play an invaluable role. It involves the application of accounting and investigative skills to analyze financial data, transactions and records related to a restaurant’s operations. The goal is to uncover financial irregularities and potential fraud. Employees perpetrate the most common fraud schemes at restaurants, including various cash and inventory misappropriation schemes. Cash Misappropriation An …

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— By Drew Holst — How AI and IoT can team up to help compensate for the costs of extreme weather. Multi-site retailers and restaurants require a significant amount of energy to operate, even when energy prices rise. Keeping every location at the right temperature is imperative for providing the best possible customer experience. That requires adequate heating or air conditioning, no matter what. Moreover, for restaurants, the use of energy-intensive equipment, such as refrigerators or freezers, is imperative to ensure food safety. But that has consequences: The U.S. Energy …

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— By David Bolaños — How regulations are reshaping restaurant refrigeration. In some respects, not much has changed. As always, restaurant owners want the optimal refrigeration system for their situations. Nothing new there. But planning a restaurant’s cooling/freezing strategy is more important than ever these days because of proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations regarding refrigerants. The details of the tighter regulations and the exact timing of their implementation are still to be determined, but they are coming. The new regulations might be in effect as soon as January 2025. …

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— By Russ Spencer — Why restaurant technology doesn’t have to come at the cost of guest experience. The restaurant industry has slowly been shifting its business model over the past decade but was drastically accelerated in 2020, with the culprit being none other than the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants were forced to change how they operate and interact with customers due to social distancing requirements surrounding the virus, with some forced to close their doors for good. Now, 3 years on, restaurants are open with little to no restrictions, but …

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— By Doug Head — The creative use of color can add to your signage/lighting program — and draw consumers in to your business. What do you do when the sign code in your city is very restrictive and your building needs more attention than your small display will provide? Many businesses have discovered that a colorfully lit wall or accent lighting will draw attention to the building and add appeal. Using color to capture attention and highlight architectural features on buildings can be the answer to the small sign …

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— By Alicia Chandler — Franchise remodeling for maximum benefits. If you’ve been notified that your franchisor is requiring you to remodel your restaurant, you may be thinking of the headaches you’re likely to encounter. While it’s true that remodeling a franchise restaurant comes with challenges, it can have big payoffs in terms of increased sales. Planning for challenges can help you manage any difficulties that do arise and maximize the benefits to come. Why Remodel? Outside of the obvious reason — the franchisor requires it — remodeling can lead …

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— By Ray Hatch — 3 ways retailers and restaurants can get ahead of a potential recession and avoid greenwashing. A possible recession, the risk of ESG-related litigation and allegations of greenwashing are troubling to navigate, making transparency and analytics a vital check and balance in today’s market. Whether you’re a retail grocer, restaurant executive or otherwise, investing in a waste audit and data reporting platforms are effective routes to avoiding the chopping block. According to a recent survey from Deloitte, 49% of respondents said data and reporting helped them …

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