Upselling customers and getting the most out of advanced messaging

by Shawn Chute — COO, Sutus

When your phone line is busy, or your staff too busy to do more than take orders, you will miss out on opportunities to upsell customers.

Boulder, Colo.: Epicenter of food innovation

by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

One of the ways Naturally Boulder Products contributes to the food innovation culture is by forcing participants to pitch new ideas every other year to proven…

You want to franchise your restaurant: Now what?

by Harold Kestenbaum — Partner, Gordon & Rees, LLP

In my last blog, we discussed why your restaurant should be franchised. I will assume that you have listened to what I said and you have now made the decision…

Three organizational challenges that hinder innovation (and the solutions to resolve them)

by Rob Connelly

There are three main challenges that hinder innovation: Playing catch up, ambiguity and underdevelopment of employees.

The one left off the list: hourly employees' influence on consumer decisions

by Amanda Richardson — Senior Vice President of Product and Marketing, Snagajob

While trend lists may not identify employees as a critical factor, the quality of a restaurant's front-line staff has a significant influence on the features…

The concept of 'Reverse Innovation' in the food industry

by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

Multinational corporations have forecasted that developing countries will account for 70 percent of their growth a decade from now.

Green spotlight on... Pizza by Certe

by Jennifer Wright — CFO, Ecovention, LLC

NYC pizzeria has embraced "green" from the toppings to the restaurant to the box.

Want to Facebook? What are you waiting for

by Janet Eden-Harris — CMO & SVP Strategy, Market Force

Ninety five percent. That’s right, 95% of all consumers are on Facebook, according to our latest research findings across both North America and the UK. We…

Top 5 things we didn't know we should be afraid of - part I

by Suzy Badaracco — President, Culinary Tides Inc

A study found that only 8 to 12 percent of gluten-free consumers said they bought gluten-free products because they or a member of their household has celiac…

If it's Monday, this must be meatless

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

While diners can see some personal benefits — like weight loss — from a Meatless Monday regime, restaurants can see some real bottom-line benefits.

Don't you know it's time to get on board ... the cross-train

by Marla Topliff — President, Rosati's Pizza

Cross training allows your business to function with a lean staff, without that constant fear of being caught understaffed.

Top 5 all-time 'contrasting' food flavor pairings

by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

When you think about flavor pairings, do you think first about 'compatible flavors' or do you think first about 'contrasting flavors?'

Improving efficiency through call reporting

by Shawn Chute — COO, Sutus

There are now several phone and communications solutions on the market that come with reporting and advanced analytics as standard, including number of calls…

Bistro offerings complement hospital's mission of health and wellness

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

The Colorado Center's mission is to promote health and prevent disease by reducing obesity and the rates of weight-related chronic diseases, and this new…

Could be deadly, but essential for restaurant operations

If you have CO(2) fill ports or storage tanks in tight enclosed quarters, lower levels, or have older systems or systems that have not been inspected by…

Three things you need to know about Facebook Timeline for brands

by Lisa DiVirgilio

The new layout allows brands to interact privately with customers and stay updated on page data.

Waking up at 40,000 feet

by Ed Zimmerman — President, pizza.com

Targeting young people online seems logical but older Americans have embraced technology, too, and want the benefits and ease of new devices and services.

Clothes can make the employee

by Nate DaPore — President and CEO, PeopleMatter

Earlier this month I ran across an article in Freakonomics referencing a study that showed "wearing a white lab coat — a piece of clothing associated with care…

Culinary Tide's 2012 top trends

by Suzy Badaracco — President, Culinary Tides Inc

Culinary Tides, Inc. released the report: "Top 10 Trends Analysis - Shifting Sands 2012: A cross analysis of predictions across Government, Technology, Health…

Social media: A necessary evil?

by Janet Eden-Harris — CMO & SVP Strategy, Market Force

Market Force just completed a consumer study of social media usage. Not surprisingly, every year we've looked at usage we've seen the numbers going up. About…