Navigating the second half of 2024 for restaurant success

By Mo Chaar Canada’s foodservice industry continues to navigate a turbulent landscape. Recent data from Restaurants Canada reveals that in April, 74 restaurants filed for bankruptcy, a sharp increase from the 53 that did so in April 2023. These figures underscore the restaurant sector’s ongoing challenges amid reduced consumer spending and rising operating costs. With […]

Limited-time offers can help operators attract and retain customers

By Mo Chaar Canada’s restaurant industry continues to experience challenges, with nearly half of restaurants still operating at a loss or barely breaking even. With higher costs and weaker consumer spending, the food and beverage sector needs to get creative to keep patrons coming through the door, and limited-time offers (LTOs) are an attractive and […]

Hit a home run with your Father’s Day promotional strategy

By Mo Chaar There are approximately 8 million fathers in Canada, and while dining out for Father’s Day isn’t quite as popular as Mother’s Day, restaurants still saw a 22 per cent increase on the occasion last year. As people celebrate the father figures in their lives, the holiday presents an opportunity for restaurant owners to tap […]

How restaurant operators can keep up with changing dining habits

By Mo Chaar In today’s economy, Canadians are cutting back on extraneous spending wherever they can to cope with a higher cost of living, and less than 30% of Canadians are satisfied with their recent restaurant experiences. A new consumer survey of Canadians’ dining attitudes and motivations revealed that a whopping 82 per cent of […]

How restaurants can leverage technology to drive loyalty and boost profits

By Mo Chaar The challenges for the restaurant industry seem to be never-ending, with operational costs, labour shortages, pandemic debt, and bankruptcies all on the rise. Recently, Restaurants Canada stated that 50 per cent of Canadian foodservice operators are operating at a loss or just breaking even, compared to only 12 per cent from pre-pandemic […]

Optimizing your gift card strategy

By Mo Chaar The holidays are looking a little different this year: Canadians are feeling the affordability crunch, and a recent holiday gift card survey revealed that inflation is affecting nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of consumer holiday spending. With the holiday season nearly in full swing and with one-third of restaurants in Canada operating […]

Tech talk: the future of restaurants

By Jessica Brill How is today’s technology helping to shape and improve the foodservice industry? As inflation and labour shortages continue to challenge businesses, innovation can play an important role in helping to alleviate some of the stresses that come with managing those persistent challenges. We consulted five industry experts from various leading foodservice sectors, […]

Preparing for the future of AI in restaurants

By Mo Chaar Restaurants across the country are facing a triple-threat of challenges: inflationary costs, labour shortages, and pandemic debt – and many are struggling to stay afloat. According to Restaurants Canada, only half of restaurants are profitable, with one-quarter of its members worried they won’t survive another year. While a portion of the hospitality […]

Restaurateurs embrace technology ahead of a looming recession

By Mo Chaar The challenges for Canadian restaurateurs from the last few years continue as we face a possible recession. Inflation has increased costs across the board, placing financial pressure on restaurant guests and operators alike. As a result, restaurateurs face heightened pressures of meeting customer expectations, finding labour, implementing cost-effective ways to meet changing […]

4 common mistakes to avoid when building a loyalty program tech stack

By Mo Chaar Customer loyalty is key for Canadian consumers, who are among the world’s most frequent users of a loyalty program. Over half of Canadians make reward-earning purchases several times a week, and a recent Givex survey found that 56 per cent of Canadians say loyalty programs make them more likely to dine out […]