Serving up the right dinnerware impacts restaurant image In the restaurant world, there are no easy decisions, because every choice from the menu to the lighting impacts the restaurant’s image, the guest experience and the ultimate success or failu...

How social media prevented us from opening for two weeks Like most new restaurants, the opening of our Pizza Rock II in Las Vegas had to be delayed beyond our initially planned opening date. As we scrambled to get our final inspections passed, we rea...

When San Ramon, California-based Straw Hat Pizza wanted to increase appetizer sales, they turned on the TVs. The 61-unit company partnered with Coca-Cola and created a three-minute video showcasing the chain’s Snack-A-Tizers and Coca-Cola products....

On weekdays, the lunch crowd from the local police academy and nearby industrial park pack out Lido’s in Meriden, Connecticut. And on Friday and Saturday nights, it’s all about serving it up to the kids — soccer teams and Brownie troops alike. ...

Q: Is it better to have a full liquor license, a wine and beer only license, or none at all? A: Years ago when I was traveling a lot, Todd King, a VP for Green Mills in Minnesota, told me to always have a full liquor license if possible. Originally, ...

The types of window treatments for Pierro’s Italian Bistro and A’mis Italian Restaurant are as far apart as the geography between them. At Pierro’s, a former five-and-dime-store-turned-hip-hangout in the historic district of Fayetteville, North...

Kim Fiorcello flips on the A/C as early as mid-April at Antonio’s Pizza in Morgantown, Pennsylvania. That’s because even on a mild spring day when temperatures hover at 70 and summer’s dripping humidity is yet to come, the dining area can becom...

Stranded. That’s how I felt the last time I had a bad restaurant experience. The wait was short, the ambiance was perfect and the food delicious. Everything was perfect until the interminable final minutes of my visit. I must have slipped into an a...

Operators know that reinvention is critical in the restaurant industry because there’s always a new trend to chase or create. Colors and décor go out of style before the paint dries. Customer service can up its game with a new gadget or technology...

When John Farrell went to visit his daughter, Jacque, at college, they were treated to dinner cooked by the father of Jacque’s friend. He made pizza for the group, and the pizzas that they enjoyed that night changed their perception of what pizza c...

Investing in a call management system, whether simple or sophisticated, is money well spent when operators learn to take full advantage of the system’s features. Today’s call management systems have the capacity for multiple to unlimited phone li...

There is something noticeable about the staff’s look at Cocco’s Pizza in Primos, Pennsylvania — expression of individuality and brand awareness. Employees sport graphic T-shirts with the pizzeria’s name and logo. Owner Michael Cocco says his ...