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 […]

Bika: Honouring Turkish roots with sustainable farming & local values

Chef Fisun Ercan explains why running Quebec’s Bika Farm and Cuisine is more than just a dream fulfilled By Tom Nightingale Nestled in the southern Quebec countryside just outside Saint-Blaise-sur-Richelieu, about 45 minutes from downtown Montreal, Chef Fisun Ercan runs Bika Farm and Cuisine, a truly local and sustainable food experience that pays homage to […]

What is Canada’s most wanted menu in mid-2022?

By Vince Sgabellone Canadian consumers have shifted the way in which they access and consume from a restaurant menu over the past two years. How they place orders, why they choose to eat out, where they consume their meals, and who is consuming. And what about the “what”? Have Canadians changed what they have been […]

Omni-channel marketing is a cornerstone of restaurants’ future

By Mark Plumlee Consumers are more fractured than ever before. People receive their information from different channels and different devices, and businesses and brands must compete with a thousand other distractions at any given moment. This makes the job of marketing a restaurant much harder, but it also provides interesting opportunities for omni-channel marketing. Advertising […]

Guess who’s coming to dinner? (Plus breakfast and lunch)

By Asad Amin No, this title is not the opening to a classic Sidney Poitier remake, although one does exist. It regards the new diner who visits restaurants after a two-year hiatus. It’s not that nobody ordered from foodservice through the pandemic, but considering our lives are very different now than in 2019, there are […]

Some Canadians have lost interest in meal kits

Meal kits were growing in popularity before the pandemic, and sales boomed during the first year of COVID-19 with restaurants shut and diners adjusting to a different life of consumption. But it appears some Canadians have since lost their appetite for the services. A recent survey conducted by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in […]

Heading into summer 2022, where does Canadian foodservice stand?

By David Hopkins It’s difficult to believe it but we’re already more than a third of the way through 2022. Now, more than two years into the pandemic, Canadian foodservice businesses are continually facing challenges while also experiencing new successes and new innovations. Even as we’re only in the fifth month of the year, there […]

What’s cooking in Montreal?

With a diverse population and a rich and ingrained history and culture, one of the many things Montreal is famous for is its thriving food scene propagated by a variety of talented and innovative chefs from all backgrounds. Club House for Chefs was lucky enough to spend some time with four chefs who are helping […]

Technomic report shows Canadian burger cravings

The burger has long been a much-craved-for food item in Canada and beyond, and that doesn’t appear to have been changed by the pandemic. Technomic’s new Global Menu Category Report illustrates what consumers in Canada and beyond are looking for in their burger options late in 2021. Prominent among the report’s conclusions is that Canadians […]

Raising the bar: Chef Peter Keith

Chef Keith has tackled the pandemic head-on with his Meuwly’s brand and is making efforts to break down barriers around mental health. By Tom Nightingale It is fair to say that Peter Keith has thrown himself into the challenges brought on by COVID-19. Over the last 15 years, the experienced restaurateur has excelled in cooking […]