Finding your “vanilla” is key to success
June 10, 2022
By Scott Moore There are hundreds of ice cream flavours, yet one of the most popular is and may well always be vanilla. One would also wager that the most popular pizza is pepperoni, regular potato chips are still the rage, and chicken noodle soup remains a top seller. There are many other examples of top-selling flavours ...Read more about this postRestaurants stand to gain as food delivery flourishes
June 6, 2022
By Kyle Brown As the restaurant industry recovers from the pandemic and all of its accompanying headwinds, one area has instilled hope in the hearts of many restaurateurs: third-party online food delivery. It’s a shining beacon of meaningful and sustained growth – to the tune of an expected US$24 billion in the U.S. and US$154.3 billion ...Read more about this postAlberta dog-friendly patios no longer need AHS approval
June 1, 2022
Alberta just got more pup-friendly, as the provincial government has announced that dog-friendly patios no longer need approval from an Alberta Health Services inspector. Restaurants, bars, and coffee shops will be allowed to welcome dog owners to eat outdoors without any red tape. Previously, a foodservice business had to request authorization from AHS before allowing non-service ...Read more about this postOmni-channel marketing is a cornerstone of restaurants’ future
May 30, 2022
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 on a ...Read more about this postThere still simply aren’t enough restaurant workers
May 28, 2022
Foodservice operators have been doing all they can to attract more restaurant workers but, amid soaring inflation and food costs, measures like hiking wages, introducing benefits, increasing flexibility, and trimming menus just aren’t getting the job done. Canada’s restaurant industry was devastated by two years of shutdowns, repeated layoffs, and strict capacity limits, and about 13,000 ...Read more about this postThe pandemic’s main lessons for restaurants? Flexibility and preparation
May 27, 2022
By Mo Chaar If COVID-19 has shown restaurants anything, it’s that we live in an unpredictable world. In large part, the industry was unprepared for the pandemic, which had ramifications for every aspect of running a restaurant, from the health and safety of guests to staffing challenges. After two years that saw the industry grappling with lockdowns, ...Read more about this postHow is restaurant chains’ recovery manifesting?
May 24, 2022
You’ll have heard this before by now, but the pandemic has changed the restaurant industry forever. Datassential’s fourth annual Firefly 500+ restaurant report highlights many of these core shifts, such as restaurant chains focusing on key markets and unit growth rather than simply sales. The food industry market research and insights company’s Samantha Des Jardins recently ...Read more about this post5 technologies that will help make the food system carbon-neutral
May 20, 2022
By Rene Van Acker, Evan Fraser, and Lenore Newman Globally, about one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture and the food system. The carbon footprint of food systems includes all the emissions from its growing, processing, transportation, and waste. Agriculture is also vulnerable to the effects of climate change and, as the conflict in Ukraine ...Read more about this postBecoming a successful female mentor in the restaurant industry
May 18, 2022
By Katerina Jones There are countless articles published talking about the importance and value of mentorship, and we recently saw many of these voices during Women’s History Month in March. Many of these articles strike home at the essence and reasons why mentorship is especially critical for professional women in the workforce. However, for professional women in ...Read more about this postCanadian foodservice’s midterm trend report
May 12, 2022
By Katie Belflower At the start of the year, amid what was still significant COVID-19-related turmoil and evolving restrictions and operations, Technomic mapped out a predicted trend report for the Canadian foodservice industry. Now, five months into 2022 and after so much has changed (again) in the industry and beyond, Technomic has compared its new year predictions ...Read more about this postThe future of tipping should be driven by Canadians, not businesses
May 11, 2022
By Simon Pek Tipping has long been a source of significant controversy, spilling over from time to time into the pages of Canadian media. Canadians’ views on tipping remain divided, as a recent survey by researchers from Dalhousie University has found. One reason why tipping garners so much interest is that it reshapes the relationship between workers ...Read more about this postHeading into summer 2022, where does Canadian foodservice stand?
May 9, 2022
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 are ...Read more about this postSolving the labour shortage is tough but, of course, can be done
May 6, 2022
The labour shortage — “The Great Resignation”, as some have termed it — is continuing at varying levels across North American foodservice. But why is is persisting, and what can be done? A new labour report from TouchBistro and 7shifts found that four in five restaurant operators say they are short at least one position. Servers ...Read more about this postDiners expect smaller portion sizes as inflation continues
May 5, 2022
A new survey from back-of-house restaurant management software company MarketMan has found that three-quarters of Americans believe restaurants will cut down on portion sizes as inflation continue. Responding to the survey, 74 per cent of Americans said they think operators will manage increasing food costs by cutting portion sizes while charging customers the same price, and ...Read more about this postHow to keep track of your restaurant equipment & inventory
April 29, 2022
By Erin Wagner Restaurants contain a wide range of equipment used for cooking, storing, and handling foods, and this equipment requires regular maintenance to remain in good working condition. Tracking restaurant inventory and equipment remains a challenge for most establishments. Some businesses do not pay much attention to proactive maintenance programs, and that leaves facilities with ...Read more about this post