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  • Close up of African American voter with national flag in waiting line during US elections.
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    Drazen Zigic via Getty Images
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    Serving the electorate: Restaurants and voters share common ground this election

    Inflation, the job market, economy, taxes and immigration reform are key issues impacting operators ahead of the election, writes the National Restaurant Association’s Michelle Korsmo.

    Michelle Korsmo • Oct. 18, 2024
  • People work at a restaurant at Chelsea Market in Manhattan on February 02, 2024 in New York City.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    How to train your restaurant employees so they learn fast and enjoy their work

    Training is an excellent opportunity to share your restaurant’s culture and what makes it unique, writes D. J. Costantino, senior content marketing manager at 7shifts.  

    D. J. Costantino • Sept. 24, 2024
  • An image of a tip jar in the foreground with a customer paying by credit card in the background
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    Nikola Stojadinovic via Getty Images
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    ‘Tipflation’ narrative is harmful to the restaurant industry

    Saying that tips have spun "out of control" is inaccurate, as data shows a minimal decline in tip percent averages, writes Kevin Bryla, CMO of SpotOn.

    Kevin Bryla • Aug. 16, 2024
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    Thai Phi Le/Restaurant Dive
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    Dynamic offers done right: Why Wendy’s was on the right track

    Unlike surge pricing, dynamic pricing can enhance brand loyalty and foster a sense of community engagement beyond traditional marketing methods, writes Catherine Tabor, founder and CEO of Sparkfly. 

    Catherine Tabor • March 20, 2024
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    kieferpix via Getty Images
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    What restaurants need to know about Valentine’s Day BOGO, marketing and menu items

    Last year’s holiday drove a 34% lift in restaurant food sales compared to the daily average for the year, a boost operators can recreate, writes Julie Gregg, director of market insights and competitive intelligence at Toast.

    Julie Gregg • Feb. 8, 2024
  • A woman sits at a coffee table looking at a tablet.
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    andresr via Getty Images
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    Cafes and bakeries are only scratching the surface for additional revenue

    Offering an alcoholic or “evening” beverages menu can grow end-of-day foot traffic and deepen regulars’ relationships with their favorite “third place,” writes Toast VP of Product Marketing Teddy Tsang. 

    Teddy Tsang • Sept. 28, 2023
  • A Primanti Bros. sandwich sits on a restaurant tabletop with a diner in the background
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    Permission granted by Primanti Bros.
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    Why AI is a key ingredient for success at Primanti Bros.

    The chain is simplifying and speeding up office processes by outsourcing tasks like sales and labor reporting to robotic process automation bots, writes Caitlin Stritmatter, director of financial planning and analysis at Primanti Bros.

    Caitlin Stritmatter • Aug. 21, 2023
  • Taylor Swift on stage
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    Kevin Winter via Getty Images
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    Taylor Swift’s smash-hit tour shows restaurants can harness concert hype

    Restaurants near Swift’s Nashville show saw a 35% bump in average transaction counts YOY for the three days she played, writes Teddy Tsang, vice president of product marketing at Toast. 

    Teddy Tsang • Aug. 11, 2023
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    Spencer Platt / Staff via Getty Images
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    For restaurants still struggling, preserving outdoor dining is key to their survival

    Since outdoor dining has become such a boon for local businesses, the question should not be whether we keep outdoor dining, but how we make it enjoyable for all, writes Austen Asadorian, SVP of sales at SevenRooms.

    Austen Asadorian • Nov. 2, 2022
  • A woman sitting at a table using her phone as a calculator. On the table there are financial charts.
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    Hispanistic via Getty Images
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    Why ‘tipping fatigue’ isn’t impacting restaurant servers the way you’d think it is

    Diner tips were 9.9% higher in Q2 2022 compared to the year-ago period, and digital payments hold opportunity for robust gratuity, says Kelly Esten, SVP & GM of enterprise at Toast. 

    Kelly Esten • Oct. 5, 2022
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    Kenny Holston via Getty Images
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    Managing your online reputation during a global crisis

    If your restaurant is impacted due to its name or presumed affiliation with an ongoing conflict, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, you need to act quickly, writes Monica Ho, CMO of SOCi Inc.

    Monica Ho • April 21, 2022
  • Multiracial friends with face masks using tracking app with mobile smart phones.
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    ViewApart via Getty Images
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    Gen Z is attracted to flexible restaurant jobs. But what makes them stay?

    Positive corporate culture and authentic, charitable missions may be better means to retain these young workers than increased hourly rates amid the Great Resignation, writes Tim Weiderhoft, CEO of Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonade.

    Tim Weiderhoft • April 14, 2022
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    Kirill Smyslov via Getty Images
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    The importance of embracing today's always-connected diner

    Restaurants should reconsider their investments to ensure a great, connected experience for their customers, writes Anthony Cross, Yelp's vice president of restaurant products.

    Anthony Cross • April 4, 2022
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    4 ways data is helping restaurants reinvent themselves in 2022

    The value of building long-term relationships with diners can be the difference between meaningful growth or a struggling business, writes Dan Silver, SVP of marketing at GroundTruth.

    Dan Silver • March 28, 2022
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    Alexander Farnsworth via Getty Images
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    4 strategies to beat QSR's biggest reward challenges

    A rewards program can help make sense of customer characteristics that are considerably variable, writes Jenn McMillen, founder of Incendio.

    Jenn McMillen • March 25, 2022
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    7 details restaurants need to include in sexual harassment policies

    With Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April, it's time to develop new restaurant and bar policies and take a harder look at existing ones, writes Jarrett Wagner, a risk control representative at Society Insurance.

    Jarrett Wagner • March 17, 2022
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    Stefan Zaklin via Getty Images
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    In absence of RRF, restaurants can use tech to boost recovery

    A provision that would refill the Restaurant Revitalization Fund was nixed from the final version of the omnibus spending bill, but operators have the tools they need to thrive, writes Ben Pryor, head of innovation for SpotOn.

    Ben Pryor • March 10, 2022
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Congress should double down on the Restaurant Revitalization Fund at this critical juncture

    Restaurants have survived but need more help in this "New Hospitality" era, writes Chris Comparato, CEO of Toast.

    Chris Comparato • March 7, 2022
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    Stephanie Keith / Stringer via Getty Images
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    How to prepare your restaurant for Valentine's Day crowds amid COVID-19

    Personalization, limited menus and social media engagement can be a recipe for success despite labor struggles on this high-traffic day, writes Jennifer Simmons, director of marketing at Restaurant365.

    Jennifer Simmons • Feb. 9, 2022
  • Buffalo Wild Wings is testing Miso Robotics' robotic chicken fryer, Flippy Wings.
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    Permission granted by Miso Robotics
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    Rise of the robots: How restaurants can automate without losing the human touch

    Instead of adopting technology to replace human beings, employers should embrace digital tools that make jobs more satisfying, writes Raju Malhotra, chief product and technology officer at PAR Technology Corporation.

    Raju Malhotra • Feb. 2, 2022
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    Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

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    Digital-first diners are driving the rise of collaborative commerce

    Collaborative commerce immerses customers in the dining experience and makes them active participants in shaping the operational experience, writes futurist Brian Solis.

    Brian Solis • Jan. 27, 2022
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    Joern Pollex / Staff via Getty Images
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    When it comes to plant-based foods, it's time to get back to our roots

    We should focus less on marketing and processing and more on honoring the enjoyability of real food, write Suzanne Simon and Bettina Stern, co-founders of Washington, D.C.-based Chaia.

    Suzanne Simon and Bettina Stern • Jan. 21, 2022
  • Hy-Vee Grimes
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    Jeff Wells/Restaurant Dive
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    Why convenience retailers are gearing up to win in foodservice

    As vehicles go electric, stores will increasingly turn away from fuel pumps and toward innovative meals and snacks, writes retail analyst Frank Beard.

    Frank Beard • Jan. 7, 2022
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    Tim Boyle via Getty Images
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    The key to a successful holiday season will be flexible staffing

    For small employers, flexibility and adjustable hours are factors to compete on now that workers' demands are changing, writes Sumir Meghani, CEO and co-founder of Instawork.

    Sumir Meghani • Oct. 18, 2021
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    Jack Taylor via Getty Images
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    Restaurants need to break past third-party delivery apps

    Never underestimate the internal efforts needed to get your organization aligned for digital growth, writes Matt Carinio, VP of strategy and consulting at Hathway.

    Matt Carinio • Oct. 14, 2021