It used to be you went to the food, now the food comes to you. At major events you scan your peripheral vision and see 20 food truck options from right to left. Positioning imitates real estate, where the end caps do better, and a parking lot can emulate a restaurant district. Some people may … Continued
I recently moderated a panel discussion entitled “Beyond Craig’s List: Finding and Keeping the Best People.” It was presented in Austin at the Summit for Texas Independent Restaurateurs, a conference created by the Texas Restaurant Association. A few months ago, I mentioned it to an editor of a national restaurant industry trade publication. He told me, “I’m so … Continued
April 11, 2014 Matthew Mabel Every day, restaurants have so much competition—from other restaurants, food trucks and even prepared food departments at grocery stores. To stand out in this competition, owners and managers must sure every guest has a positive experience, every day, on every shift. By consistently achieving high standards, a restaurant will be … Continued
Rockwall High School won this year’s Texas ProStart Restaurant Management competition. Here are five reasons why: They used humor and enthusiasm to portray their ideas. They were through, detailed, committed, thoughtful and comprehensive. They solved all aspects of a problem, not just one part. They established a clear protocol for problem solving. They were creative, … Continued
Nation’s Restaurant News recently published a special report, 2020 Vision, The Future of Foodservice, looking at what restaurant menus, design, consumers, and technology will look like when the next decade begins. NRN Senior Food Editor Bret Thorn asked me and three other industry experts to speculate on The Future of Menus, what restaurant menus will look like … Continued
Businesses start because they’re good at something. The best businesses grow and prosper because they become good at everything. Most business people know where their weak spots are. The best business people do something about them. I’m reflecting on two of the restaurants I visited in Dallas on a recent weekend. One of them is … Continued
Growing sales? Growing units? Every entrepreneur I have ever known thinks about these things every day. And it turns out the people who sell to them are thinking about the same things on their behalf. In the B to B world, vendors and suppliers come to know a great deal about the people they serve. … Continued
The best businesses control themselves, keep things simple, stay on track, and do not allow themselves to be overwhelmed, overloaded, or confused. Their guests and customers are exposed to an ever-increasing daily barrage of messages daily from a million different points in the world. In order to engage people, it’s smart to understand that there is … Continued
I just spent a day with 12 teams of aspiring high school students competing for national recognition in restaurant management. I had two big takeaways: 1. Show true, heartfelt hospitality even when you distracted with handling your business. 2. Take advantage of what’s not working. The best business people are always thinking about their customers … Continued
Beyond Buzzwords: Making “best practices” a reality – View Source Article Nation’s Restaurant News 5/8/12 By: Matthew Mabel Recently the term “best practices” proudly took its place among Forbes.com’s list of “the most annoying, pretentious and useless business jargon.” “Best practice” was deemed “the most pompous confection the consulting industry has ever dreamed up.” In … Continued