Get comfortable being uncomfortable Have you ever driven a longer path on the highway, with less stop signs and stop lights, even though you knew for a fact it would take more time than the direct path? If so, why did you do that? I’ll do it becaus...

Having a light staff in the front can hurt sales When I was first starting out, I didn’t schedule a lot of front of house staff. I thought it would hurt my labor cost. What I found out was that whenever we did finally get a rush, we weren’t able ...

The promise and pitfalls of offering live music in your establishment From the day Blue Mountain Pizza opened in March 2004, live music was a part of the plan. “Live music just lends itself to a more social atmosphere,” owner Matt Danford says. A...

Having a solid and strong relationship with your food vendor What is the value of a relationship? In this business, having solid relationships is paramount to growth. Now, with that being said, the days of needing an awesome food rep aren’t the abs...

What’s on tap for flooring trends in 2019 and beyond? Embracing new trends and staying on the cutting edge of design while still making restaurants safe for employees and beautiful for customers is a tough balancing act for operators. High- traffic...

It’s not always easy, but sometimes necessary We all love supporting old businesses. When people tell me about a great pizzeria in their town, they always add: “it’s been there forever!” But as much as longevity is a badge of honor, it can be...

The use of gloves in restaurants is common, but is it done right? The impetus behind this story is a tale as old as time: while waiting to place an order for a donut and a coffee at a large breakfast chain, I waited for the only counter employee to ...

In the lead up to the 2018 Pizza Pasta Northeast show in Atlantic City, I was asked to lead a seminar called “I Am Your Customer and This is What I Want.” It sounded like a simple enough request since I spend quality time with pizzeria customers ...

How to effectively train a restaurant host Think of your host as a conductor of an orchestra. Instead of a baton, the critical crew member has a seating chart and a wait list. The entire rhythm of your restaurant hangs on their ability to set the tem...

It’s about more than food “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Dr. Maya Angelou Dr. Angelou’s quote hits the nail on the head when it comes to exceeding th...

Position your pizzeria to thrive with large parties An exercise: Go to a search engine and type “group friendly restaurants” and your area/town. Are you listed? Read the descriptions of the places ranked to see why they were highlighted. If your...

Upholstery care takes little time and mild cleaners Duct tape can fix many things, but it should not be used to repair torn upholstery. The low-budget patch is unsightly and it’s only a temporary fix. That’s one reason why operators need to take ...