Amy Hom

The catering and food-at-work movement represents a major opportunity for restaurants looking to diversify revenue streams and reach new customers. Erle Dardick, host of "The Catering Cage" podcast, sees catering as a critical business-to-business channel that many restaurants are still struggling to fully capitalize on. While most restaurants now offer some form of catering, truly scaling and optimizing this channel requires significant investment in technology, training, and dedicated sales teams. https://lnkd.in/g6iZ5Jki

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Chipotle just lit up another crazy quarter: Same-store sales up 7 percent. More notable, transactions made up 5.4 percent of that (almost nobody is doing that in quick service at scale lately). Total revenue increased 14.1 percent to $2.7 billion. Restaurant-level operating margin was 27.5 percent, an increase of 190 basis points, and trying a 2015 record. Chipotle opened 47 new restaurants, with 43 including a Chipotlane. Digital sales 36.5 percent of the business. So what's going on? For starters, throughput scored its best mark in four years. And turnover is at record lows (lower than 100 percent for crew in some spots). But there's also no denying the high-priced arena is favoring the brand's value proposition. In a level playing field, check wise, Chipotle stands at a pretty good spot to showcase its differentiators. The better it gets at operating efficiently behind the scenes of that reality, the more transactions it's going to fire up.

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The pace of bankruptcies are picking up in the restaurant industry. We are seeing a lot of concern from California due in part to recent labor cost increases. It’s an imperative to develop new business models and plans ahead of sitting down with creditors. In many cases, effective turnaround plans can gain traction and confidence, but they require credibility and objectivity to convince other shareholders and stakeholders to come along. It’s essential to win not just their consent, but their renewed trust and enthusiasm for a new and inspired vision. #restaurants #bankruptcy #turnarounds

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Annual report on restaurants and consumers by Alix Parnters offers some amazing insights. Start with summary in NRN or read the full report, totally worth taking the extra time to get the details, click here. https://lnkd.in/g57uT-kd Despite some signs of stability and continuing optimism, many operators know painfully well that things aren’t necessarily rosy right now, and second quarter earnings reflected as much. The consulting firm outlines four strategies to manage changing consumer behaviors that have impacted sales and traffic: Evolving menu offerings Enhancing the consumer experience Investing in employees Implementing balanced pricing https://lnkd.in/gzJ7nhJk #restaurants #consumerspending #trends #offpremises #theopga

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QSR Magazine Feature: For Catering, a Comeback Turns Into a Fast-Growing Priority 📈 Brands like CAVA, sweetgreen, Noodles & Company, El Pollo Loco, Inc., Just Poke, are investing more into their B2B catering channels, with many others looking to follow suit. “The corporate card is always more flexible than the personal card. With all the inflation going on in the market, people are still ordering for the office, while the retail customer is trading down or ordering less frequently as they adjust their budget at home.” - Pedro "Pete" Mora, Founder of Fajita Pete's The recommendation? Restaurants should develop separate workflows for their catering to mitigate kitchen chaos.  Learn more about the sentiments below.  https://lnkd.in/g7FDEdu8

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Lisa Jennings Restaurant Business Online tell us - "In a deal that aims to avoid bankruptcy, the Bellevue, Washington-based fast-casual pizza chain has agreed to sell 100% of its equity to a Southern California-based group that has owned Slater's 50/50, Project Pie, Patxi's Pizza and other brands." Elite has been a collector of financially troubled restaurant brands over the years. Led by Michael Nakhleh, the former Sizzler and Fatburger franchise operator has acquired brands like Slater’s 50/50, pizza concepts Project Pie and Patxi’s Pizza, family-dining chain Marie Callender's, as well as the Mediterranean concepts Daphne's and Noon Mediterranean, and cupcake chain Gigi's Cupcakes Franchise. It's not clear whether those brands remain in Elite's portfolio. Nakhleh in a statement said, “MOD has an outstanding culture and passionate, loyal guests and employees. We recognize the inherent value this represents and look forward to helping MOD write the next chapter in its history.” Last week, reports indicated MOD was considering a Chapter 11 filing as the company worked to improve its capital structure. In a statement at the time, company officials said they were exploring all options, and that a “solid turnaround plan was underway that is making progress.” That plan has included “rightsizing the portfolio,” as well as refreshing the brand and elevating the guest experience, the company said Wednesday, though no details were offered. Year to date, 44 underperforming restaurants have shuttered, all company owned, and it’s not clear whether more will close. For years, MOD—known officially as MOD Super Fast Pizza Holdings LLC— was seen as the leader in the fast-casual pizza niche, growing to more than 500 units. Of the 512 currently, 89 are franchised. It was founded by Scott Svenson and Ally Svenson in 2008, and was one of the first fast-casual pizza concepts to emerge in what soon became a crowded pack of contenders offering a walk-the-line, build-your-own personal, artisanal pizza, with as many as 40 toppings available for one price. It quickly became a favorite of investors, and the chain raised a total of $345 million over the years, with investors that included Nigel Travis, the former chair and CEO of Dunkin'​’ Brands Group Inc., and Spencer Rascoff, CEO of the real estate website Zillow, as well as investment firms PWP Growth Equity Fund I LP Equity, Fidelity Management & Research. Most recently, in 2019, MOD announced it had raised $160 million in equity financing from private-equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice. At the time, the company pledged to double its unit count to about 1,000 restaurants. That funding supported rapid expansion in a drive to earn national brand awareness, with the goal of going public. In 2021, the chain filed confidential plans for an initial public offering...Clickthru to read more." https://lnkd.in/eSqcHWQq

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Great summary from #FOD2024, if you are not attending. Costa Vida Executive VP of Strategic Growth Wade Allen comments on something really insightful and something I have implemented in our catering programs. “The metric we found that influenced all of our channels to be successful was ‘guests with a problem,’” Allen said. “We wanted to find out how many guests had a problem across these channels, vs. the number of transactions we’re conducting. We started measuring that and were able to find out where the problems were. Once they mined the data, Allen said Costa Vida worked to create consistency across its channels by distributing the metrics and a ranking of all the restaurants from start to bottom." To learn more about how to implement in your catering program, read more in a past blog post here - https://lnkd.in/gkFTECst https://lnkd.in/gCkScv2c #catering #theopga #servicerecover #service #trust #offpremises #FOD2024

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On the latest episode of Room for Seconds, I sat down with JUICER CEO, Ashwin Kamlani to discuss dynamic pricing in the restaurant industry. Consumers are looking for value everywhere and the restaurant and hospitality industry is no different - and has the potential to open up tons of new opportunities for innovation across the space. Catch the full discussion live on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts! #restaurant #restaurants #hospitality #technology #podcast #youtube

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It's hard to believe we're halfway through 2024, but that means it's time for a state of the industry! Thanks, QSR for this thought-provoking article. #RestaurantNews #RestaurantBusiness #DataDrivenMarketing

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🌟 Grateful to Share My Experience on QSR Uncut with Danny Klein 🌟 Good Morning, LinkedIn Community! I’m honored to share that I recently had the opportunity to be a guest on the QSR Uncut podcast, hosted by the insightful Danny Klein, Editorial Director of QSR Magazine. A big thank you to Danny and the QSR team for their warm hospitality and engaging discussion! 🎧 You can listen to the episode here: The CEO Transforming Healthy Fast-Casual Dining (https://lnkd.in/e7NPDS35) https://lnkd.in/e5XrM3TQ https://lnkd.in/ehWNW3e4 In our conversation, we touched on several topics, including: - Growth Strategies: My experiences leading WOWorks and our wonderful brands like Saladworks and Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh. - Innovation in Dining: Our efforts to reshape the fast-casual landscape with a focus on healthy options for today’s consumers. - Leadership Insights: Reflections from my time at Schlotzsky's, where I worked on repositioning the brand to drive growth. I was particularly humbled by the episode's headline: “The CEO Transforming Healthy Fast-Casual Dining.” It truly reflects the vision we are striving to achieve together. As we continue to navigate the dynamic food industry, I believe it's vital to share insights and engage in meaningful conversations about health-conscious dining. I welcome your thoughts and encourage you to tune in so we can spark a dialogue on how we can shape the future of dining together. If you find the episode valuable, please consider liking, commenting, and sharing it. Your support is greatly appreciated! #Podcast #HealthyDining #FastCasual #Leadership #Innovation #WOWorks #QSRUncut #DannyKlein #QSRMagazine #FoodIndustry #DiningTrends

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Tom Woodbury & Peter Cryan nailed this article in Hospitality Technology! Summary: -BOH tech is a viable solution to growing pressures of competition and thin margins 😬 -Pandemic sparked more industry spending on customer-facing technology but did little to address the BOH/kitchen 💰 ✅ -To stay competitive, reduce costs, and cut into razor-thin margins, restaurant operators must embrace change and pivot towards operational efficiency 💡 -Company owned restaurant chains are more willing to invest capital into the kitchens and BOH because it's their own bottom line. 💯 -Franchised chains historically tend to invest in technology that grows top-line sales. Now it the time to address the significant cost saving opportunities in the BOH/kitchen. 🎯 #restaurants #restauranttech #AI #hospitality ClearCOGS

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Do you have any questions regarding your participation in the 2024 California Restaurant Show? This year’s event is on track to deliver our 3rd consecutive year of buyer growth, as well as show floor size, and will bring thousands of restaurant and foodservice professionals together under one roof. I have some stats about the buying audience that you might find helpful: 83% of attendees have purchasing authority for their business 67% were new to the show last year Collectively, our buyers represent $2.5Billion in purchasing power 74% say attending the show is important to their business 29% of attendees plan to spend $500K or more on products and services seen at the show On average, buyers connect with 23 vendors by attending And our buyers are looking to source across all product categories:      Food – 75%                     Beverages – 70%             Equipment – 65%             Services – 63% For more info please visit the link in our bio.

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🍴 ELEVATE YOUR RESTAURANT GAME! 🍴 Discover The Restaurant Coach™️ METHOD: 🥇 A 4-tier learning approach: Immediate-access courses, weekly group insights, one-on-one accountability, & transformative live events. 🥇 Master the 3P Magic: Perfect your People, Product, & Process. Skip the decades of missteps, leap into success in mere months. 🥇 Benefit from 44 years of industry mastery – from top-tier chef roles to consulting giants. ✨ Pure Strategy. Zero Fillers. ✨ Month-to-month memberships: Commit only as long as it adds value. No strings attached. ✨ Join the 2,600+ success stories. Your restaurant could be next! 🔍 Unsure about the right fit? Secure a ZERO-COST Profit Power Session with yours truly. Unlock the formula to quadruple profits with just 30 hours a week! 🗣 Hear from those who've soared: “Post-Donald? We’re on our 3rd outlet & vacationing!” – Stephanie, Slam Dunk Pizza “Nearly crumbled with 3. Now, with Donald’s systems, aiming for 7!” – Chris, River West Restaurant Group “Culture is key. Donald transformed ours.” – John, Coffee Co Take the leap! 🌟 ➡️ https://bit.ly/3qYL1wX ⬅️ Click 'LET’S GROW YOUR RESTAURANT'. Dive into the success you've always envisioned. Ready for change? Let’s dive in! 🚀

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While you are enjoying your Thanksgiving leftovers ... help us out with a quick 6 question survey. We're sharing back the results.

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The model right now for Chipotle isn't overly complicated. Improve throughput with better-run restaurants and real-time tools to measure performance. Rotate LTOs with a history of success and create fresh marketing campaigns that gamify engagement. And, meanwhile, make sure stores nationwide are loading up burritos and bowls (in response to recent social media noise) to ensure the reasons Chipotle was always successful remain intact. The result, however, is Chipotle just posted its best traffic performance in three years. By industry trends, the brand is generating transaction results double-digits ahead of the rest of the field. There are very few quick-service chains in America producing results like this (same-store sales of 11.1 percent and traffic of 8.7 percent). And no real sign of let up in sight. It's yet another sign that "value" is best defined as what you get for what you pay for, and whether or not that feels "worth it." The experience at Chipotle is simply winning over core and new customers.

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