Mary King

From hurricanes to heat domes, landslides to lockdowns, floods, tornadoes, wildfires, and Arctic freezes, restaurants have dealt with every disaster imaginable. And those are just the weather-related catastrophes; there’s also everyday accidents like kitchen fires and wayward vehicles plowing through your front door. This can all sound terrifying. But a little bit of preparation can […]

Profitability is a daily challenge for every restaurant owner and manager. Reducing food costs can boost your bottom line, ensuring that more top-line revenue flows into your bank account. The following are strategies I recommend that will help you track, manage, and reduce your restaurant food costs. Key Takeaways: 1. Understand How Food Cost Impacts […]

If you plan to be open on Thanksgiving, like almost one-third of US restaurants, you’ll need a Thanksgiving menu. Use our free Thanksgiving menu template to give your plans a jump start. It works equally well as a printed or digital menu. Download in your preferred format below, and read on for ideas and tips […]

Counting your bar inventory—the total supply of beer, wine, spirits, mixers, and other beverages your restaurant or bar has on hand—is the most critical aspect of running a bar business. Understanding what alcohol you have on hand, where the product is going, how much it costs you, and where you can gain savings helps your […]

If you own or manage a restaurant, you’ve probably heard the acronym SPLH and wondered what it means. These four letters stand for “sales per labor hour” (SPLH), one of the key performance metrics that help you effectively manage your restaurant’s business resources. Understanding SPLH can help you accurately balance staffing levels to meet customer […]

Local SEO simply means focusing your internet efforts on getting your business to appear in local search results. SEO is an acronym for “search engine optimization.” Restaurant owners shouldn’t have any trouble with the “local” part; local means in your region. Strong local SEO helps customers find your restaurant, which can help you drive sales. […]

Farm-to-table is a food philosophy and social movement that encourages sourcing food directly from local farms and then serving those ingredients in their freshest state. Farm-to-table restaurants purchase supplies from farms within a certain radius around their location, which, depending on the density of nearby farms, may range from 50 to 200 miles. Farm-to-table is […]

Starting a farm-to-table restaurant is not that different from starting any other restaurant type. You’ll need permits and licenses and need to undergo health department inspections, among other things. Starting a farm-to-table restaurant requires a few different strategies than opening an eatery that relies on conventional suppliers. The greatest difference restaurant owners will notice is […]

Coffee should be easy to sell; it’s delicious, the aroma is enchanting, and drinking coffee is a daily ritual for many people. But to attract new customers and build long-term loyalty that gives independent coffee shops longevity, you need excellent coffee shop marketing. Your coffee shop marketing strategy needs to increase brand awareness, drive foot […]

Mobile bartenders travel to different locations to serve alcohol at one-time and temporary events, like weddings, festivals, and corporate parties. Whether you bartend independently or as part of a restaurant or catering job, it is important to protect yourself and your bartending business. Mobile bartending insurance is designed to protect bartenders and businesses that serve […]

A third-party delivery service is a digital platform that allows food business owners to sell their products online. Delivery services often work by charging commission fees on orders and providing delivery drivers. Third-party delivery services also sell marketing packages designed to showcase your menu to customers who place frequent orders.  Third-party delivery platforms like Uber […]

Restaurant management is all the tasks and daily decision-making that running a restaurant requires. Restaurant management tasks fall into two main categories: managing the health of the business and directing daily operations.  The first three points on this list—knowing costs, adjusting to meet targets, and forecasting for growth—fall under managing the business’s health. The final […]