000Three easy marketing tactics to establish your restaurant online
September 18, 2017
By Mark Goren
There’s no doubt that running a restaurant has its challenges. Whether you’re opening your doors soon or running an established business, you should seriously consider how a few simple online marketing tactics can help you drive traffic, phone calls and menu views. Follow these simple yet critical steps to build a solid digital ... Read more about this postThe rules for designing a hotel restaurant
September 12, 2017
By Judy Henderson
When staying at a hotel and on the look out for a good spot to eat, I always check with the concierge. If their reply is “we have a great restaurant”, that’s when I run a mile in the other direction. Hotel restaurants tend to be buried on an upper level and occupied ... Read more about this postRestaurant concepts to watch for in June
June 7, 2017
By Aaron Jourden
In this edition of “concepts to watch,” we highlight three restaurant concepts that are making an impact on Canadian diners. Here’s a look at the characteristics and menu offerings that make these restaurants unique:
Flock Rotisserie + Greens
Instagram: 4,349 followers | Facebook: N/A | Twitter: 561 followers
Locations: 4 (Toronto)
Concept characteristics:
Quality, naturally raised rotisserie chicken
Signature ... Read more about this postYour restaurant’s renovation: It’s time for design
May 19, 2017
By Judy Henderson
Last time, we discussed the importance of planning for your restaurant renovation. Hopefully you heeded my warning – failing to plan is planning to fail. So, your work-back schedule is gently optimistic, the bar is perfectly positioned and scaled to the size of the space, and you’ve established a flow for the movement ... Read more about this postThe dos and don’ts of online menu management
May 16, 2017
By Sean Beckingham
For years, the relationships between restaurateurs, menu selections and hungry patrons remained mostly unchanged, various exceptions always included. Enter social media, an online voice of fandom, frustration and customer-on-keyboard justice; food photos, on-site selfies and reviews, both positive and scathing.
Before the golden age of the Internet, consumers had to go in-house to find ... Read more about this postHow social media can help grow your brand
May 11, 2017
By Stephan Schulz
Like many people, my first encounter with social media was through traditional news. Reports of major world news breaking through Twitter, or famous people posting about themselves caught my attention. Eventually, I was lured by the opportunity to showcase my work and I jumped into Twitter, then Instagram and LinkedIn.
My success with social ... Read more about this postRestaurant concepts to watch for in February
February 13, 2017
By Kristin Menas
In this edition of “concepts to watch,” we highlight three restaurant concepts that are making an impact on Canadian diners. Here’s a look at the characteristics and menu offerings that make these restaurants unique:
The Green Panther/La Panthere Verte
Instagram: 3,969 followers | Facebook: 13,251 likes | Twitter: 4,537 followers
Locations: five (Montreal)
Concept characteristics:
A vegan/vegetarian concept ... Read more about this postHow to start your restaurant’s renovation
January 12, 2017
By Judy Henderson
If your restaurant is going to survive, you’re going to need to complete a renovation every seven to 10 years. I’m not talking about replacing the fabric on an existing banquet or adding an Edison bulb to an old pendent fixture – that’s maintenance. A renovation is more extensive; a rethink of the ... Read more about this postRedesigning the dining experience at Earls.67
December 2, 2016
Earls.67 is a new prototype restaurant based on global micro and macro trends
By Cheryl Mah
With time comes change and innovation. For the beloved 35-year-old west coast based restaurant Earls, time brought a one-off prototype concept designed to transform the chain dining experience. Earls.67, the 67th eatery in the powerhouse’s roster of locations, has packaged and ... Read more about this postMillennial dining celebrates food’s authenticity
October 11, 2016
By Adele Rankin
More research and discussion has been generated about Millennials than any other demographic in recent memory since Generation X. Determining what draws them to a certain product, and perhaps more importantly, what keeps them coming back, is the focus for everyone from hotel brands to retailers. Restaurateurs can also learn a few lessons ... Read more about this postDo you have what it takes to be a multi-unit franchisee?
August 30, 2016
By Helen Fotinos
More and more franchisors are targeting multi-unit franchisees to realize their development goals and more and more franchisees are joining the cue to invest in multi-unit/multi-brand concepts. If you are an aspiring multi-unit franchisee, here are a few things to consider before you invest:
What’s your goal?
Understanding your motivation is critical because there is ... Read more about this postFamily-style dining: Bringing people and food together
August 11, 2016
By Liana Robberecht
In the world of restaurants, the return of family-style dining shows that food is no exception to the adage that everything old becomes new again. With the hustle and bustle of our multi-tasking, information over-loaded, everything-on-our-phones lives, people are rediscovering the importance of taking a moment to reconnect with family and friends. There ... Read more about this postRestaurant concepts to watch for August
August 3, 2016
By Kristin Menas
In this edition of “restaurant concepts to watch”, we highlight three concepts that are making an impact on Canadian diners. Here’s a look at the characteristics and menu offerings that make these restaurants unique:
Nuba
Instagram: 2,215 followers | Facebook: 5,109 likes | Twitter: 4,522 followers
Locations: 4 (Vancouver)
Concept characteristics:
Modern twist on traditional Middle Eastern recipes
Contemporary ... Read more about this postThe changing landscape for foodservice in Canada
August 2, 2016
By Mark Dempsey
When was the last time you visited a quick-service chain, a sit-down restaurant, or a supermarket? Depending on your answer, it may or may not come as a surprise to you that total traffic to the Canadian commercial foodservice marketplace was flat this last year versus the year before.
While traffic is down, dollar ... Read more about this postThe future of restaurant design has an eye on the bottom line
July 13, 2016
By Chris Hannah
As restaurants fight for a place in the market, we often focus on key elements such as menu, service and ambience. While a single factor such as restaurant design cannot save a bad restaurant, it can certainly contribute to its demise, especially if the design budget is not managed wisely.
It used to be ... Read more about this post