Independent Restaurants

Thomas Keller apologizes for Per Se letdowns

By Peter Romeo on Jan. 28, 2016

Customers were emailed a vow to do better.

Beverage

How Chicago restaurant Swift & Sons stirs a perfect martini

By Kelly Killian on May 26, 2016

Watch the bartender at this high-end steakhouse deliver "eatertainment" with a tableside martini demo and a tale.

NYC joins push for scheduling restrictions

By Peter Romeo on Sep. 19, 2016

Under a proposal that Mayor de Blasio promised to push through quickly, schedules would have to be posted two weeks in advance, and employees must be given 10 hours between closing and opening shifts.

Financing

What indies know

By Scott Hume on Oct. 18, 2016

While independents aren’t immune to the issues plaguing chains in today’s restaurant climate, these top concepts are managing to jump the business hurdles to keep both staff and guests satisfied.

Revamped Foodservice Offerings Play Role In Recreation Industry Recovery

By Restaurant Business Staff on Oct. 31, 2011

CHICAGO (October 31, 2011 - PR Newswire)—It is rare for a 2.6 percent decrease in sales to be considered good news, but in the case of the recreation...

Le Cirque files for bankruptcy

By Peter Romeo on Mar. 28, 2017

The fine-dining landmark said its financial problems are temporary and it needed to protect its lease.

Food

Think Different

By Joan M. Lang on Jul. 17, 2013

It’s been done with hamburgers, with cocktails, with Mexican QSR. Take a familiar concept, one with a degree of built-in familiarity and consumer acceptance, and differentiate it—around the ingredients, the menu, the presentation, the service model. Make it unique and craveable, make it stand out from the competition; just don’t make it so strange that customers don’t know what to make of it.

Food

6 ideas to freshen up your menu

By Patricia Cobe on Jul. 11, 2017

Several actionable food and drink insights bubbled up at a recent conference on restaurant trends.

The case for immigration reform

By Steve Brooks on Nov. 01, 2013

Facing a shallow labor pool and stepped-up enforcement by the Feds, the restaurant industry is putting pressure on lawmakers to ramp up immigration reform. And change may be closer than you think.

Marketing

Market research by emoji

By Benita Gingerella and Lisa White on Sep. 19, 2017

See how operators are using the pint-sized images to get a read on consumers.

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