Under Review Execute effective employee performance reviews in the restaurant space When The New Yorker and later Inc. Magazine questioned the validity of employee performance reviews this past summer, wondering aloud if the formal appraisals sparked...

Real Estate Concerns — Commercial Leasing Between business plans, marketing and capital collection, new restaurateurs have plenty on their plates — and they often put property on the back burner. While location is a common concern, inexperien...

Is third-party delivery the way to go? I have a forecast that one day our industry will not have delivery drivers who are directly employed by our restaurants. Instead, I believe third-party companies will soon be nationwide. This started with a smal...

Lasting Loyalty If you’ve got a rewards program, here’s how to make it really work Pitfire Pizza tried printing punch cards for their nine locations — buy 10, get a pie free. They saw their same customers, gave away a few pizzas, but not much e...

Artisan pizza offers unique marketing opportunities More pizza makers liberally use the word, “artisan,” to describe their pies, which presents a real dilemma for those offering the real deal. You may have the most authentic artisan pizza in town...

Talent pool suffers in a strong economy   As a follow up to last month, let’s examine other reasons for high turnover: • Higher housing and rising inflation. The fluctuation and increase in rent in big cities where the housing market has sky...

A better economy means good help becomes hard to find I am sure you have noticed lately it’s been getting tougher and tougher to keep and hire employees, especially in California. With the unemployment rate getting lower and the economy getting bet...

Are you up to speed on child labor laws? Minor employees often bring plenty of positives to the job. Although they’ll likely require a fair amount of rope-showing and schooling in workplace etiquette, young people are generally enthusiastic and eag...

Do you know how to maximize your local marketing? Clayton Krueger has no shortage of opportunities to spend money. As the director of marketing for Farrelli’s Wood Fire Pizza, a 20-year-old, seven-store chain in the Tacoma, Washington, area, Kruege...

Relationships are invaluable to a restaurant’s success. It is a no-brainer that the relationships between management and staff, staff and customer and restaurant and supplier need to be strong in order for a restaurant to keep its doors open. And r...

Honing marketing efforts to a geographic radius reaps rewards Loyalty is not given, it is earned. You gain frequency with the quality and consistency of your product, your customer service and your overall dining experience. Your approach to marketin...

Do you have the right insurance coverage for your operation? Owning a business is an act of calculated risk. To make the most of your investment, proper insurance coverage is absolutely necessary. Without it, a customer who breaks a tooth or a fire i...