Barry Shuster

Executive Editor
RestaurantOwner Insights

Article

Right Sizing Your Menu: Targeting the Optimal Number of Items on Your Independent Restaurant’s Menu

With the cost of food and labor and the competition for guest traffic ever increasing, independent operators have tremendous incentive to have Goldilocks menus – in other words, “just right.” There are no hard-and-fast rules to right-sizing your menu, but there are approaches to ...

Success Story

An American Dream Come True: Juan Martinez of Don Juan Mex Grill

From his humble beginnings to where he is today, RestaurantOwner.com Juan Martinez is likely to continue to represent the American Dream and inspire other operators. You can learn more about Juan, his success story, and how he achieves profitability at the National Restaurant Show on May 20, 2024, where ...

Article

The Role of Coaching in Restaurant Workforce Development

Successful owners and managers are often effective coaches. They take time to know their employees and to help them cultivate their skills and contributions to the concept. In this article, we look at where coaching fits in the workforce development process.

Article

A Moveable Feast: Banquet, Catering, and Events Best Practices

Restaurants are a capacity-constrained business: you only have so many tables and so much kitchen. But in today’s operating environment, many restaurateurs have seats unfilled or cooking lines idle for at least part of the week and are turning to catering and private dining events to optimize their ...

Article

Menu Training Basics

How well does your staff really know the menu and all the details about what they’re serving? Learn how to improve consistency, reduce complaints, and keep happier employees with better menu training.

Training Video

L.A.S.T. for Managers - Empower your Team to Handle Disappointed Guests

In the restaurant rush, complaints are inevitable yet invaluable. In fact, you should view them as a gift. In this video, you’ll explore how complaints ...

Training Video

L.A.S.T. Transforming Complaints Into Delight

When working in the front-of-house, you will receive customer complaints. It is an inevitable fact; however, complaints are not something to be dreaded. ...

Training Video

The Art of a Sincere Apology: No Matter the Complaint

In the service industry, having effective tools for de-escalation is crucial for turning a bad situation around. A genuine and sincere apology is one ...

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Mystery Shopper Reports

Surveys reveal that over 90% of dissatisfied customers don't complain. All too often they leave and don't return. Do you really know what your restaurant ...