Photograph: Shutterstock Things were starting to look up for BJ’s Restaurants in November. Same-store sales turned positive and were growing week after week. Staffing levels were up. Dining room sales were creeping closer to pre-pandemic levels. It had restored its full menu after earlier cutbacks. Its late-night business was starting to resemble 2019’s again. Then,...Read More

This edition of MRM’s “Ask the Expert” features advice from Buyers Edge Platform. Please send questions to Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine Executive Editor Barbara Castiglia at [email protected]. They say patience is a virtue. Well, tell that to someone who is hangry. Restaurants are experiencing more impatient patrons as the labor shortage causes operators to struggle to maintain...Read More

As the world’s premier culinary college, The Culinary Institute of America has a proven track record of preparing the future leaders of the food industry for careers in, and beyond, the kitchen. As career options within the food industry expanded over the past 75 years, so did the CIA’s curriculum. “Food touches every facet of...Read More

The National Restaurant Association launched “People Behind the Plate,” an initiative that highlights the stories of people who have chosen to make a difference in the world by being a part of the restaurant industry. The industry is a collection of millions of owners, operators, and people who choose to make restaurants their careers. They are...Read More

As menus continue to change and adapt to consumer trends and needs, the CIA continues to adapt its curriculum, events and activities. Through its Menus of Change® initiative, the college has been at the forefront of the plant-forward movement for more than a decade, and as plant-based and flexitarian diets have moved into the mainstream,...Read More

Ensuring guests experience true hospitality is tantamount to running a successful restaurant. Thanks to restaurant technologies, it’s possible to not only deliver a superior customer experience — the crux of hospitality — but also take things to the next level. Yes, the importance of a good customer experience has always been key. However, between staffing...Read More

Photograph: Shutterstock Jack in the Box just finished a quarter in which the labor shortage both hurt sales and compressed margins at its company locations. And next year isn’t looking much better, either. Fixing that will take a variety of tactics, company executives told analysts on Tuesday. And it won’t just be limited to how...Read More

It’s been a tough year for the foodservice industry. Restaurants have faced labor shortages, supply and equipment shortages, and climbing food prices, with no past playbook on how to navigate the crisis. In other words, best practices are being created in-the-moment and shared with others as collaborative ideas.  Even as COVID-19 has gotten under more...Read More

Photograph: Shutterstock Delivery and takeout have become as important as table turns for casual-dining chains since the pandemic began. And while Chili’s and Applebee’s have snatched a lot of headlines with their off-premise efforts, Cracker Barrel has been as active as anyone in developing its to-go business. Takeout and delivery accounted for 20% of the...Read More

Photograph: Shutterstock Delivery and takeout have become as important as table turns for casual-dining chains since the pandemic began. And while Chili’s and Applebee’s have snatched a lot of headlines with their off-premise efforts, Cracker Barrel has been as active as anyone in developing its to-go business. Takeout and delivery accounted for 20% of the...Read More