Branding Tips

  • Restaurant 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 ...
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  • How 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 ...
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  • Redesigning 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 ...
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  • Millennial 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 ...
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  • Do 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 ...
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  • Family-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 ...
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  • Restaurant 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 ...
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  • The 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 ...
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  • The 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 ...
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  • Restaurant concepts to watch for July

    June 20, 2016
    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. Flock Rotisserie + Greens Instagram: 3,205 followers | Twitter: 448 followers Locations: 3 (Toronto) Concept characteristics: Quality, healthy rotisserie chicken and specialty salads Free-range birds ...
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  • Restaurant concepts to watch for May

    April 25, 2016
    By Kristin Menas In our first ever ‘concepts to watch,’ we highlight three restaurant concepts that are making an impact on Canadian diners. These original eateries use social media to their benefit, are positioned as fast-casual and offer guests unique experiences. Here’s a look at our top fast-casual restaurant concepts. Mandy’s Instagram: 5,797 followers |Facebook: 4,710 likes Locations: 3 ...
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  • How to speak social media: Bringing everyday language online

    March 21, 2016
    By Sean Beckingham March 21, 2016 Leave a comment Social media is built on its human audience, a fact that is sometimes forgotten when brands set up their social media platforms. It’s important that your brand speaks directly to your customers. Ultimately, they’re the ones for whom you’re posting pictures of your scrumptious food. To appeal to your ...
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  • Using social media to improve your restaurant’s bottom line

    December 8, 2015
    By Sean Beckingham On a typical day, Canadians make a combined 18 million visits to the country’s 89,000 food and beverage venues, creating annual revenues for the industry of about $72 billion. That’s a lot of competition! Increasingly, a strong social media presence is a “must have” for restaurants looking to succeed in a crowded marketplace. Want ...
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  • Five ways to create a strong first impression with your outdoor signage

    December 7, 2015
    By Diane Chiasson You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Your outdoor signage is much more than the name of your restaurant, it’s your customer’s initial encounter with your restaurant. Your restaurant sign is your advertisement! Your signage does much more than just announcing the name of your restaurant; it also ...
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  • How to overcome the bad business review

    September 22, 2015
    Yelp reviews: How to overcome the bad business review in four steps By Tania Stadnik September 22, 2015 Small-business owners work hard to build a brand reputation and get their business steadily off the ground. But what happens when a customer has a bad experience and vents in an online review forum like Yelp? Negative reviews don’t signify ...
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