50 Great Ideas

The top industry ideas we've spotted in the last year

50 Great Ideas

32. Upcycling compost

Chefs are repurposing compost into menu items and playing off the word in the item’s name. Compesto—a pesto made from vegetable trimmings that would end up in a compost bucket, such as carrot tops and...

50 Great Ideas

38. Tattooed promotions

When there is a new concept at the University of Connecticut, the dining team creates a temporary tattoo of the logo or name.

At the Citibank corporate cafeteria in New York City, desserts are 50% off in the late afternoon.

On Thursdays from 3-8 p.m., Cafe Adelaide & the Swizzle Stick Bar in New Orleans welcomes dogs with a full menu of their own, while their owners can opt for a $5 cocktail called Dog Day Afternoon....

Many options on the events menu at The Gray, one of Kimpton Hotel’s Chicago properties, are inspired by the in-hotel restaurant, Boleo. That includes empanadas. To make it easier and more frictionless...

When new steakhouse Boston Chops designed its layout, it included an Instagrammers table. The table, which cost $10,000 to build and outfit, includes customizable features that are controlled by the g...

Denver-based Mad Greens has a weather prediction service programmed into its ordering system to help forecast sales. The chain has found that when it’s too warm or rainy, sales go down. It’s helped th...

Desserts are on the menu at Xoco, Rick Bayless’ counter-service spot in Chicago, but customers don’t always think to order them when they order meals. Once they sit down, there’s no way to know they c...

Chicago’s Parlor Pizza wants to find ways to encourage its guests to stick around and order more food and drinks. One way it accomplishes that is by offering to charge guests’ phones. Specifically, th...

More and more restaurants are eliminating plastic straws. To educate its customers about sustainability, Mountain Brauhaus in Gardiner, N.Y., puts a flyer on every table saying “Skip the straw and sav...

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