Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the US in 2020, food delivery services had taken hold. The concept of ghost kitchens had also started to gain momentum pre-COVID, but now that we are nearly a year into the crisis, ghost kitchens are becoming commonplace.
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Meet Shane Schaibly, Corporate Chef and Vice President of Culinary Strategy of First Watch Restaurants, Inc. Chef Schaibly took the time to tell us a little about his background, work at First Watch, and what he sees as big on the food trend front.
Members of the FDR Culinary Team recently traveled to Bandar Lampung in Indonesia for a food product development project and had a chance to explore some of the food scene there. Katie Sutton, FDR Chef and VP of Culinary Innovation, and Ric Scicchitano, Managing Partner, grabbed these photos at local restaurants. Could some of these flavors be coming to a table near you? We think so. Continue reading
Meet Chef Michael Slavin, VP Culinary & Menu Innovation at Houlihan’s Restaurant Support Center. FDR has worked with Chef Slavin on menu development projects among other things, which is why we’ve interviewed him as part of our Meet the Chefs series. Continue reading
…and do it over and over again.
Many multi-location restaurants rely on one-time video training during employee orientation. That simply doesn’t make sense. Wait staff have a tremendous responsibility to wow your customers and create a memorable experience. That’s why a consistent, in-person training program is vital for any restaurant looking for long-term success.
A great approach to training is through the buddy system. For example, pair each new employee with an experienced employee and create a way to test progress (like they do at Crabby Bill’s Seafood in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida). Low marks in improvement should result in a thorough investigation into both the trainee and trainer. Continue reading
Many restaurant companies struggle with stagnant sales, reductions in traffic, and lower margins than they’ve had in the past, all because costs never seem to go down. These companies reluctantly accept lower margins as a way of life (or death). In some cases, restaurants will blindly raise prices to try and remedy the problem, but over and over again we’ve seen that result in an even deeper erosion of traffic.
Menu engineering is somewhat complex and time-consuming, but a well-engineered menu can be a game changer with regard to increased profitability. In this post, we’ll show you how. Continue reading