Maya
- Sep 22, 2021
- 2 min
Why Are Menu Prices Getting Higher?
Menu Prices on the Rise During the COVID-19 pandemic, food service took a bigger hit, financially, than many other industries. Yet even now as they start to recover, their troubles haven’t gone away. If they can’t afford the rising costs, it gets passed down to the customer via higher menu prices. Where are these rising costs coming from? In part, issues abound higher up the supply chain. Production can’t necessarily meet the newfound demand as customers flood back out to res
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Maya
- Sep 18, 2021
- 2 min
Will Vaccination Proof Soon Be Countrywide?
New York Makes Big Moves Against the Delta Variant New York has long been considered an indicator of up-and-coming trends. That’s why so many eyes are on the city lately, as Mayor de Blasio recently announced that dining indoors at restaurants will now require proof of vaccination against COVID-19. This move is the city’s latest attempt to prevent a third wave, particularly as the Delta variant threatens our return to normal. But it’s not New York City’s first go at convincin
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Maya
- Sep 7, 2021
- 3 min
Serving Robots: The Next Front of House?
Since the pandemic, restaurants have come up with creative solutions to save money. Whether cutting costs, upgrading technology, or finding some other way to adapt, the foodservice industry is exploring unexplored territory. Take, for example, one Florida seafood place that just invested $30K in robots. Image by TheDigitalArtist from Pixabay Who They Are Mr. Q Crab House in Hollywood, Florida installed three new workers on their service floor this month. The owner, Joy Wang,
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Maya
- Aug 1, 2021
- 2 min
What States Legalized To-Go Cocktails For Good?
As the pandemic winds down, many temporary regulations and restrictions related to COVID-19 will expire soon. Businesses and customers alike all have their own opinions about what should stay or go, but one trend that’s gained a lot of traction this year is to-go cocktails. How To-Go Cocktails Got Popular Last year, restaurants all over the world shut down their indoor services. Instead they had to rely on other avenues, like takeout and delivery, to make profit. Unfortunatel
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Maya
- Jul 11, 2021
- 2 min
Where’s Curbside Pickup Headed Next?
Dining out has changed ever since the pandemic began. Sit-down service is still under suspicion, and even dipping inside to get takeout makes many customers uncomfortable. These fears are amplified amongst those who live with young kids, older family members, or people with health issues that make them more vulnerable. Whether because they think it’s safer, less expensive, or more convenient to get takeout than delivery, people are trying curbside pickup. Photo courtesy of ea
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Maya
- Jul 5, 2021
- 2 min
Why Restaurants Want Direct Delivery
The Problem With Third Parties When COVID-19 first began, restaurants learned to turn their attention to off-premise ordering channels. By summer, takeout services reigned supreme. From their end, customers got used to the ease and efficiency of scrolling through the apps. During this surge in popularity, restaurants continued to struggle with razor-thin profit margins. Now, they’re looking at direct delivery instead. Although pickup and curbside also got more popular this ye
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Maya
- Jun 30, 2021
- 3 min
Restaurants Have a Labor Shortage
Why Is There a Labor Shortage? As vaccinations increase and daily cases of COVID-19 go down, restaurants hope to finally get back to normal for real this summer. But they’re finding it difficult to hire back the staff they need. There’s a labor shortage in the hospitality industry, and it’s hitting everyone hard. Although they’ve been called “essential” workers all year, restaurant employees still experience poor wages, discrimination, and harassment at high rates. The federa
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Maya
- Jun 28, 2021
- 3 min
Food Service Businesses Doing Well in 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the restaurant industry in general. Still, some businesses are coming out stronger than before. Whether because they found their niche with a new customer base, launched sales channels that met demands just coming to light in COVID-19, or some businesses just tend to do well in hard times. The question remains: How did some foodservice thrive in a pandemic? Photo by call me hangry 🇫🇷 on Unsplash Online Ordering Plenty of restaurants of
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Maya
- Jun 27, 2021
- 3 min
Mobile Marketplaces Take Boston
Delivery has become hugely important to restaurants during COVID-19, and so has technology. More than ever, people want a quick and convenient way to buy food. Digitizing the online ordering experience does just that, using technology to create a smoother delivery process. For one brand, that meant inventing mobile marketplaces. In Boston, some luxury apartment buildings have installed food lockers that sell pre-made lunches. They aim to help out all those who now work from h
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Maya
- Jun 25, 2021
- 3 min
Planning For Your Restaurant’s Future
As we finally leave the pandemic behind, the restaurant industry will reemerge into a much different marketplace than the one it left behind. For starters, restaurants and consumers alike have experienced severe financial stress because of COVID-19. We’re shifting back toward normalcy, but how can businesses effectively plan for the future when it’s unclear what a post-vaccine world will hold? People are more cautious now. This pandemic has altered the way we think and custom
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Maya
- Jun 20, 2021
- 3 min
Restaurants Give Back: Does Charity Drive Sales?
Money has become a bigger concern for the restaurant industry than ever before, because of COVID-19. Customers are less financially secure, likewise for businesses, and the community as a whole hasn’t fared much better. When guests do spend money, they want to know it goes to a worthwhile cause. Because of this, as you get more involved with charity, sales will soar. Why is that? Photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels Customers, Charity, and the Middleman More fundraising or
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Maya
- Jun 19, 2021
- 3 min
Indoor Dining Returns: Is Your Restaurant Ready?
After more than a year, indoor dining is coming back. As more vaccinations roll out across the United States and life finally edges toward normal, restaurants are excited to return in full force. However, this transition won’t be quick. We’ve tried rapid reopening and closures before, last summer, and it cost the industry steeply. The road to recovery will involve adaption for the return of indoor dining. Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash Rearrange the Indoor Dining Space C
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Maya
- Jun 16, 2021
- 3 min
Ready the Rooftop Bar for Summer
Making Your Rooftop Bar Great After over a year, restaurants and bars finally see a summer freer of COVID-19. Although safety guidelines will remain in place through the recovery period, there’s a shift as customers eagerly “return to normal,” or as close as they can get. Many establishments decided to open up a rooftop bar. This complies with regulations but also acts as a warm welcome back to normal. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash Decorate Your Space Last summer, many b
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Maya
- Jun 4, 2021
- 2 min
The Rise of Fast-Casual Dining
COVID-19 wrested deep change from the restaurant industry. Social distance and the rise in contactless dining options have proven very conducive to off-premise solutions. Unfortunately for full-service establishments, fine dining didn’t use delivery and takeout solutions very often. As a result, a lot of them became fast-casual during the pandemic. What do fast-casual concepts have to offer that other restaurants can’t? Foremost, they’re naturally flexible and thus pliable to
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Maya
- May 25, 2021
- 3 min
Restaurant Recovery So Far
What’s Happening with COVID-19? It’s been a long year for the foodservice industry, and the world as a whole. Restaurant recovery is on everyone’s minds, but it’s not a clear-cut path back to normal. So far, all American adults are eligible to receive vaccines, and many have already received a shot, with more getting their first every day. Officials put Johnson & Johnson’s back into circulation following further research into the blood clot situation. As a country, we’re hurr
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Maya
- Apr 20, 2021
- 3 min
Reopening a Restaurant in 2021
After over a year, restaurants finally look forward to reopening back up for good. Despite continuing safety regulations, you can still build a strong business while paying attention to the procedures that get the world back to “normal”. Restaurants that pay attention to customer preferences and streamline their business to prioritize profitable sales channels will move forward faster. If last summer is any indication, reopening will be a long, tricky road fraught with close
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Maya
- Apr 6, 2021
- 3 min
Restaurants Adapt for Evolving Consumer Trends
The COVID-19 pandemic changed everyone’s way of life. What appealed to restaurant customers in January 2020 isn’t relevant anymore. As guests adapted to dine-in restrictions and mask mandates, their priorities shifted. Amidst changing consumer trends, restaurants need to meet their needs in-store, online and anywhere else that a touchpoint exists. Tech-forward solutions create a smoother dining experience every time. Whether the customer wants curbside pickup or prefers self-
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Maya
- Mar 30, 2021
- 3 min
Restaurants’ Guide to Spring Cleaning
Restaurants have had a tough and confusing year. With the COVID-19 pandemic changing how we approach business, spring cleaning in 2021 involves a deep cleanse with industrial-grade cleaners to get back in shape before the customers roll in. Mass vaccinations and loosening restrictions mean that your sit-down service is going to experience an uptick of interest as the days warm. In addition to cleaning, you need to take stock of your technology too. Anything that doesn’t activ
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Maya
- Feb 27, 2021
- 2 min
Should Your Restaurant Staff Get Vaccinated?
Nearly a year after the coronavirus pandemic irrevocably changed our lives, the world finally sees the light at the end of the tunnel. The first vaccines were announced last November, and now, even more are being developed, approved, and distributed to the public. The National Restaurant Association, known colloquially throughout the industry as “the other NRA,” has been campaigning hard to open restaurant employees to priority vaccine appointments since they are frontline wo
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Maya
- Feb 25, 2021
- 3 min
Can Crowdfunding Save Restaurants?
It’s been nearly a year since America began mass closures to protect people against the COVID-19 pandemic. In that time, small businesses all around the country have contended with difficult and strange new safety precautions. The restaurant industry, in particular, has suffered more than average; from capacity restrictions to outright caps on dine-in services, hospitality has found creative ways to supplement finances in the middle of this disaster. Often, the first move res
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