It is human nature to look forward trying to figure out what is going to be the next big thing in your industry so you can beat your competitors to the punch. I believe the next big thing in the restaurant industry is going to be technology, look how perceptive I am. Technology and apps …
restaurant technology
How to Drive Consistent Daily Execution
There are two ways that you can drive consistent daily execution in your operations: You can nag and set reminders for your staff to do things, basically micromanage every aspect of your operations. You can hire and train the right staff then integrate them into the operations, teach them why you do certain things and …
New FDA Rules mean more Manufacturer Self-Inspections
The new FDA rules that were released this month are going to mandate that manufacturers take more responsibility for their facilities. Â Here are the points that I found most interesting: Tainted foods — including recent examples such as spinach, cantaloupe and ice cream — sicken 1 in 6 Americans — or 48 million people — …
Predictive analytics helps Chicago prioritize restaurant inspections
Found a really cool article on how the city of Chicago teamed up with the Civic Consulting Alliance and researchers from Allstate Insurance’s Quantitative Research & Analytics Department to put together a predictive model using 311 calls, previous inspections, permits, and other data points to identify high risk restaurants.  Here is what I found most …
Restaurant Delivery Services
I came across two articles today discussing restaurant delivery services, specifically in Seattle. One on Geek Wire and the other on The Stranger. Both of them were very different in the story they were telling which was interesting. The Stranger talks about how Postmates is reeking havoc on the restaurant industry. Mainly causing “resentment” between …
The challenge with growing operations
There has been a lot of great press this year about the restaurant industry’s economic impact from the number of employees to the estimated $709 billion in revenue in 2015.  Growing your operations is a great accomplishment. You have succeeded and now it’s time to grow and expand.  All you have to do …
Do third party inspection programs drive consistent daily execution?
It’s hard to believe that having a 3rd party inspection service show up twice a year, maybe once per quarter (we very rarely see this), has a big impact on the daily execution of operations.  Anyone can be great for a day or a shift with some notice. But to be great every shift …
Will Minimum Wage Increases Accelerate the Robot Invasion?
There’s an interesting article in the Washington Post, “Minimum-wage offensive could speed arrival of robot-powered restaurants”, suggesting that $15/hr minimum wage will accelerate the move to robots in restaurants. It mentions that shedding labor in the restaurant industry isn’t a new phenomenon. According to the article in the late 60’s a McDonald’s would have 70-80 …
Running Restaurants is Getting Harder – Part 3
To read part two click here Labor cost is another issue that is going to affect restaurant operations. We can’t just look at labor as bodies and do we have enough. We are going to have to redesign our entire operations strategy to minimize labor and operating complexity so we can operate with fewer people …
Running Restaurants is Getting Harder – Part 2
To read part one click here Food trucks are another segment of the industry that have prospered from wireless technology. Until recently it was incredibly expensive to take mobile credit card payments. Now it’s comparable to hardwired credit card payments. Mobile technology has made it easier for food trucks to service customers. It used to …