November 14, 2022 As consumer habits continue to shift and off-premise dining remains a popular option, desserts and sweet treats are making their way onto more and more takeout orders. According to the 2022 Online Ordering Trends report from Restaurants Canada, this is an ongoing trend, with baked goods taking top spot in the delivery and pickup category for ...Read more about this post
November 7, 2022 As the holidays approach and so does the possibility of a recession, there are mixed reviews on predicted restaurant traffic. Dining in restaurants is on the decline for people with lower incomes. In this year’s second quarter, one of four diners bringing in less than $45,000 per year didn’t eat out at all. That being ...Read more about this post
November 3, 2022 As businesses continue to recover from the pandemic and employees return to work, the demand for restaurant catering is on the rise. According to ezCater, corporate catering booking sales were up 185 per cent last month over January 2022. That looks set to continue through 2023, too, as businesses resume in-person client meetings, book corporate lunches, ...Read more about this post
October 6, 2022 As Canada’s food costs continue to rise with no end in sight and rumours of an impending recession, consumers are looking at ways to best stretch their dollars. In the last 12 months, three out of four Canadians have changed the way they buy food to try and offset the increased costs. The recently released ...Read more about this post
October 5, 2022 The restaurant industry has seen so many changes over the last few years and is in recovery mode, but even with the continuing surge in delivery and takeout, more Canadians are making reservations and visiting restaurants now than ever. In fact, the rebound in indoor dining has been so strong that Canada and the US ...Read more about this post
October 3, 2022 Confronted with labour shortages, inflation, supply-chain stretches, and other operational challenges, restaurants are having to find a variety of ways to adjust their business model to stay attractive to consumers and stay viable within a competitive industry. Many of those changes have come on menus. Toast’s first Voice of the Restaurant Industry survey found that one-third ...Read more about this post
September 28, 2022 We’ve seen many changes to consumer preferences since the pandemic, and beverage demands are the latest addition to this list, driving a shift in restaurant delivery and takeout menus. With the growth of third-party takeout and delivery orders up 63 per cent from pre-pandemic days, this is an important market to consider. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic ...Read more about this post
September 27, 2022 If your restaurant doesn’t already have a marketing strategy that targets Gen Z customers, it’s time to shift your focus. Making up 28 per cent of the population, with 20 per cent of their income going towards food, Gen Z is an important part of your restaurant’s customer base. With a reputation for being technology-driven, eco-conscious, ...Read more about this post
September 23, 2022 As the foodservice industry sees a gradual increase in traffic and sales, what does the road to recovery look like? It’s been a tough few years, with rising food costs, labour shortages, and new work-from-home patterns impacting restaurants’ return to pre-pandemic standards. In a recent webinar, Chris Elliott, senior economist at Restaurants Canada, took a look ...Read more about this post
September 20, 2022 In today’s crowded foodservice climate, offering a robust loyalty program is a must. Loyalty members visit more, spend more, and provide your business with vital insights into customer behaviour. Those were some of the key conclusions of the new Paytronix Loyalty Report 2022, which found that the top loyalty members are foundational to a restaurant’s bottom ...Read more about this post
September 15, 2022 As labour shortages and inflation continue to rise, is the foodservice industry bouncing back? Full patios, large takeout lines, and long reservation lists seem to indicate that we are back to business as usual, but the numbers tell a slightly different story. In a recent webinar, Chris Elliott, senior economist at Restaurants Canada, took a closer ...Read more about this post
September 15, 2022 Prices may be up, cost of living may be up, but indoor dining is nevertheless back on the menu big time. The recent TouchBistro 2022 Diner Trends Report released Wednesday and based on surveys conducted in June and July found that 44 per cent of consumers are now indoor dining at a restaurant at least once ...Read more about this post
September 7, 2022 As restaurateurs continue to struggle with post-pandemic labour shortage, business owners are looking for new recruiting strategies and ways to combat employee turnover. According to David MacDonald, senior economist for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, it’s not a labour shortage we’re facing, it’s a wage shortage. Competition for good candidates is fierce, and restaurateurs ...Read more about this post
September 7, 2022 As the cost of living continues to rise, gratuity rates are also rising, due to what experts are calling “tip-flation”. Even though restaurateurs feel that conditions are worse now than they were three months ago, a Restaurants Canada survey found that 44 per cent of Canadians are tipping more than their pre-pandemic rate when dining out. ...Read more about this post
September 1, 2022 As restaurants try to return to “business as usual” while battling labour shortages and supply chain delays, beer sales are on the decline. Total beer sales are down over seven per cent across Canada, dipping over eight per cent below pre-pandemic numbers. By province, beer sales have decreased by 12.6 per cent in Saskatchewan, 10.7 per ...Read more about this post
