fsStrategy


Common restaurant operations mistakes – and how to fix them

During the COVID-19 pandemic, running smooth restaurant operations has become harder than ever. Thankfully, some surefire tips can help.

Canadian foodservice is well-placed to embrace the federal single-use plastic ban

COVID-19 complicates things but Canada’s federal single-use plastic ban has been a long time coming and shouldn’t be too troubling for operators.

By the Numbers: Why online marketing is more important than ever

By Jeff Dover Now more than ever, it’s important for restaurateurs to get into online marketing — luckily, it’s easier than it looks. According to Monetate, a marketing software provider, more than one billion restaurant visits in the United States are influenced by online marketing. We came to a similar conclusion at fsSTRATEGY, as well. […]

The impact of increasing labour costs

By Geoff Wilson and Andrew Waddington, fsSTRATEGY Inc. There is no question that profit margins in restaurants are sensitive to changes in labour cost. As a prime cost, labour cost comprises nearly one-third of revenue; second only to (in fact, sometimes greater than) cost of goods sold. The degree to which a restaurant may shoulder […]

Institutional foodservice: Healthcare and corrections are key targets for contractors

By Geoff Wilson In its recently released 2017 Canadian Institutional Foodservice Market Report, fsSTRATEGY estimates total gross revenues in institutional foodservice in Canada in 2016 to be $8.5 billion or 10 per cent of total Canadian foodservice industry sales. The table below summarizes the extent of contractor penetration in the primary segments of the Canadian […]

Institutional foodservice: One-tenth of Canada’s foodservice industry

In its recently released 2017 Canadian Institutional Foodservice Market Report, fsSTRATEGY estimates total gross revenues in institutional foodservice in Canada in 2016 to be $8.5 billion or 10 per cent of total Canadian foodservice industry sales. Approximately 54 per cent of the institutional foodservice market is operated by management and staff directly employed by institutions. […]

Menu trends: Ten years makes a difference

By Geoff Wilson The most important real estate a restaurant has is its menu. The structure of a restaurant’s menu has a significant effect on many aspects of a restaurant’s operations including revenue, food cost, equipment requirements, pantry counts and, most importantly, guest satisfaction and repeat visitation. Getting the menu right is crucial to success. […]

QSRs pave the way for breakfast dining trends

By Geoff Wilson Breakfast has become a significant daypart in Canada’s foodservice industry. However, the recent growth of breakfast in Canadian foodservice has manifested itself more so in quick-service restaurants (“QSR”) rather than full-service restaurants (“FSR”). FSR breakfast traffic and all dollars as a percentage of total foodservice remained relatively flat from 2012 to 2016. […]