Offsetting rising restaurant costs in 2021

Restaurant costs were already a burden for operators even before the pandemic raised the stakes. But particularly in the current climate, operators constantly need to adapt to stay afloat, you’ve got to adapt. Restaurant labour costs are rising amid a staffing challenge, food prices have soared in many industry sectors, and logistics costs keep climbing, […]

Bar Connect: Automating restaurant operations for the new world

Restaurant and bar operators are faced with an increasing need to streamline their operations better than ever before. At a time when the margins have become thinner and the pressure has become more intense, let Bar Connect take some of the load. Bar Connect is a tool that helps operators create a safer space, reduce […]

7shifts launches free online restaurant management academy

Restaurant management has always been testing work but in today’s age, it’s an incredibly challenging job. Balancing staff requirements, food costs, and other operational concerns alongside the need to maximize revenues to retain often razor-thin margins is no enviable task. Thankfully, Canadian-based team management company 7shifts has released its new 7shifts Academy, described as a […]

Ontario restaurants finally free of capacity restrictions

Ontario restaurants have no COVID-19-related indoor capacity restrictions to adhere to for the first time in over a year as of Monday, October 25. Restaurants, bars, and other food and drink establishments, as well as many other settings where patrons/customers are required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, are now free to operate without capacity limits. […]

Navigating the vaccine passport rollout

By David Hopkins The vaccine passport has now rolled out in Ontario, and with it comes increased uncertainty and complications for restaurant operators, who have already faced incessant turmoil and scrutiny over the past year and a half. While the details of the vaccine passport and its enforcement vary from province to province, the gist […]

The lasting changes and passing fads of COVID-19

By Mark Plumlee COVID-19 brought massive, sweeping changes to the restaurant industry. Now, with the vaccine rollout well underway and provinces continuing to reopen their restaurants, one giant question remains unanswered. Looking at some of the many shifts restaurant operations have seen over the past year, which ones will turn out to be passing fads? […]

Restaurants are shifting gears to a co-pilot model

By Laurent May & Alen Puaca The COVID-19 pandemic, as brutal as it has been for the restaurant industry, has given us a chance to reassess how we can interact with our customers and take bold steps to create new dining experiences. Thinking about returning to traditional dining is, in some ways, like watching an […]

Starbucks introducing braille menus in North America

Starbucks has announced that it will be introducing large-print and braille menus to all of its restaurants across the United States and Canada starting this summer to help its visually impaired customers. The braille menus were developed in partnership with National Braille Press. The coffee giant has also begun offering a service that connects blind […]

Finding success through flexible financing

Calgary’s Blowers & Grafton has thrived during the pandemic thanks to painstaking planning and Merchant Growth’s solutions By Tom Nightingale Foodservice and hospitality is often a fine-margin business even at the best of times. There’s so much to juggle financially, from day-to-day product and operational expenses to salaries, from rent and insurance to health and […]