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 […]

5 food holidays to celebrate in August, from ice cream sandwiches to filet mignon

By Megan Prevost With the end of summer approaching, it’s time to take advantage of the heat while it’s still here, relishing in delicious summer faves like ice cream sandwiches and s’mores. If you’re looking for an excellent way to bring in some more customers on slower days, utilizing food holidays can bring both fun […]

The changing face of alcohol sales

By Travis Traini Alcohol beverage sales are changing to capture a new generation of consumers. Years before the pandemic, the foodservice industry had been experiencing a decline in the sale of alcoholic beverages for young customers aged 18 to 24 years, making up seven per cent of all alcohol orders at drinking places in 2020 […]

5 food holidays to celebrate in July, from fried chicken to tequila

By Megan Prevost It’s time again to prepare for another month of food holidays! Celebrating these types of holidays consistently can bring a fun air to your restaurant. Customers may begin to look forward to the occasion you choose to celebrate each month or every few months. These holidays are a great way to incentivize […]

Bowl value meals & spicy sauces trending; take-home meals, cheese declining: Technomic

Technomic’s latest Ignite Canadian menu data report found that while the like of bowl value meals, spicy sauces, and lighter alcoholic beverages are trending strongly year over year, cheese and straight spirits have notably declined. The Ignite data noted declining overall year-over-year counts in entrees (-4 per cent), appetizers (-2 per cent), and sides (-5 […]

Is it time to bet on the allure of the bar?

A recent State of On-Premise webinar from Technomic highlighted how restaurants are refining their operations at the bar to boost traffic and sales as part of their pandemic recovery. In many areas, both casual dining and full-service restaurants are seeing a slow return to high volumes, and Techonomic explained how some operators are concentrating on […]

Ontario cuts wholesale alcohol prices for restaurants

Starting January 1, Ontario has cut LCBO wholesale alcohol prices for bars and restaurants and is enabling curbside pickup of beer, wine, and cider from licensed grocery stores, as well as freezing the basic beer tax rate. A government announcement says the measure intends to support licensed bars, restaurants, and other businesses by saving them […]

Canadian bars are leading the way in Zero Waste Month

Canadian restaurants and bars are setting the benchmark for Zero Waste Month, a new global initiative aimed at reducing food waste. The program has been launched by Flor de Caña, a carbon-neutral and sustainably produced premium rum. It invites eco-conscious bars, restaurants, and consumers from around the world to join forces to reduce food waste throughout […]

Ready for RTD? The once unloved beverage category has gotten an upgrade

By Samantha Biljan Bars have been offering cocktails on tap for the past decade, as well as pre-batching and freezing larger quantities. But now companies and enterprising restaurateurs alike are taking the concept even further, streamlining the process by having their cocktails bottled and canned in single-serve ready-to-drink (RTD) formats. The reason for all this? […]