Consumers raise hygiene standards for restaurants

These days, consumers are looking for higher levels of hygiene from the businesses they frequent, including the restaurants they visit. In the past, a quick swipe of the table with a damp cloth did the trick for many, but consumers now want to feel like they are entering a safe and sanitized environment when they […]

Increasing restaurant revenues and profitability

By Travis Traini Restaurant revenues are still in the news as businesses continue to try and recover. After the difficulty of operating through the pandemic, restaurateurs are facing new operating challenges including staff retention and labour shortages (especially skilled labour), significant inflation in food costs, economic effects on customer spending, rising interest rates, and increases […]

A look at today’s rising menu prices

As rising food costs continue to make headlines, many restaurants have raised their menu prices to help find a balance and offset their increased expenses. Rather than simply upping prices across the board, it’s a good time for restaurants to evaluate their margins, engineer their menus, and adjust pricing to better the bottom line. RELATED: […]

St. Patrick’s Day menu ideas for your restaurant

By Mark Plumlee Everyone’s a little Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, which means that it’s the perfect time to create a specialty holiday menu inspired by the Emerald Isle! Irish beer and whiskey are a great start but don’t stop there. Be sure to add plenty of Irish and Irish-inspired dishes to round out your […]

Canadian restaurant chains are going greener

As the recent single-use plastic ban takes effect in Canada, more restaurants are going greener, adjusting their practices to reduce their environmental impact, and addressing consumer demand for higher sustainability from the businesses they frequent. RELATED: Sustainability matters to Canadian consumers With 57 per cent of diners looking for more sustainability from QSRs, some of […]

Why restaurants should stop using long-form surveys

By Austin Verner Does your restaurant use surveys to solicit feedback from your guests? Surveys can be an effective tool in connecting with your customers, identifying opportunities for improvement, and building on practices that are working for your business – if you’re doing it correctly. According to reports, 20 per cent of your customers account […]

Fast-food restaurants face competition from convenience stores

The fast-food market is becoming even more competitive, as convenience stores continue to get attention in this space. With persistent labour shortages, supply chain delays, and the significant growth of off-premise dining, many stores are expanding, capitalizing on higher food margins to help grow their profits. Can convenience stores deliver what diners are looking for? […]

Trend Watch: Meat-infused cocktails, pickled nuts, salal berries

By Katie Belflower In our latest edition of Trend Watch with Technomic, we are focusing on three current top menu trends across Canada, showcasing some of the restaurants that are creatively and successfully adding these items, flavours, or ingredients to their menus. Meat-infused cocktails Operators are featuring cocktails infused with meaty elements including marrow, fat, […]

How to make QR codes work for your restaurant

QR codes became a top trend for contactless ordering during pandemic days, but are they still serving a purpose? The answer rests in how they’re being used by restaurants. As a one-dimensional, pdf version of your menu, the QR code likely isn’t doing you any favours. Many diners find them awkward, having to stretch and […]

Lower wait times to raise your restaurant’s revenue

As a restaurateur, prioritizing your guest experience is vital in garnering return visits, and longer wait times could be hindering your restaurant’s success. Nobody likes waiting, and your diners are no exception. In fact, a study of 94,000 diners found that the revenue of a popular restaurant increased by 15 per cent when wait times […]