AgileChef.com

Our society is always on the go. Between work, school, family and friends—not to mention a little sleep here and there—it can be hard to find time to grab a bite at all, let alone sit down for a full restaurant meal. As a foodservice operator, you’ve probably seen the effects of our collective time crunch firsthand. Whether your restaurant features a curbside take-away lane or a take-out delivery service, you know that today’s customers appreciate the speed and convenience of grab-and-go dining.

One proponent of grab-and-go dishes, Sodexho Corporate Services’ Bill Mitchell, attributes the genre’s growing popularity to its speed and convenience, something every restaurant operator appreciates. So take advantage of the on-the-go trend and expand your restaurant’s grab-and-go menu selections using the helpful tips here:

It’s all about portability. Lunchtime favorites like salads (Sodexho’s 5-ounce “Salad Shots”) and sandwiches (the “pocket” sandwiches sold in Wolfgang Puck’s To Go kiosks) are easily converted to portable menu…

Part 2 of 2

So you’ve calculated your restaurant’s profits using the throughput formula. Now comes the second step to maximizing your foodservice sales: using these figures to improve your operation’s efficiency, boost your customer count and increase your total sales. The key is incorporating the throughput concept into all aspects of your operational processes.

From the Front Door to the Dining Room
Increase your restaurant’s throughput from the moment guests walk in the door by making the seating process as efficient as possible. On top of maintaining a well-trained staff of hosts and servers, it helps to add a second host at the front door to keep customer traffic running smoothly. Try an “on-deck system in which waiting parties are called just before their tables are ready. Letting your guests know their tables are being prepared keeps your waiting list in order and reduces the time you wait between calling and seating your customers.

Still, wait times are often unavoidable.…

Simplicity is the culinary theme for 2010.

As many consumers continue to watch their spending and cut back on dining out, restaurant operators are simply looking for better ways to fill stomachs without emptying diners’ wallets over the coming year.

Agile Chef has highlighted five “back-to-basics” trends that operators can use to entice recession-weary diners and grab more dining dollars. These trends not only reflect diners’ shift toward good (more) value, but also feel-good comfort during economic uncertainty. It’s driving the way operators respond, from carefully crafted menus to community-conscious fare, in 2010.

Local Fare

Chefs are putting more emphasis on local and seasonal ingredients for menu items. This farm-to-fork concept is appealing to both operators and diners for several reasons: fresh ingredients, minimal transportation and support of local commerce. This also includes regional wine and spirits, and even specialty brews from local microbreweries.

Comfort Foods

Familiar foods, like sandwiches, burgers and mac ‘n’ cheese, are getting a premium upgrade on menus. Have…