50 Great Ideas

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

50 Great Ideas

15. Delivery hot spots

At a time when chains are pouring into the delivery market, Domino’s is finding new turf to explore. The unabashed leader in delivery added more than 150,00 Hotspots—unconventional delivery zones in p...

50 Great Ideas

1. Approachable guest education

As operators skew more authentic with international cuisine, diners require more education. At Sushi-San, a sushi concept in Chicago from Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, chefs keep a pull-apart st...

To promote a culture of inclusivity, MeMe’s Diner in New York City trains its staff to greet guests with gender-neutral terms—“Hey folks” instead of  “Hey ladies,” for example. Once a month, the ...

Franchisees who’ve notched 10 years on the job at Dunkin’ Donuts are rewarded by having a unit named after them, versus referring to the store by its number. It’s a way of bestowing recognition that’s...

Fast casual Tender Greens created an internship program for young adults who have grown out of foster care. The Sustainable Life Project offers six-month paid internships on Tender Greens’ culinary te...

With 31,000 Toys R Us employees losing their jobs, the Main Event food and games chain focused its recruitment efforts on that surge in the labor pool. Toys R Us workers who came for a visit and inter...

To cut down on table clutter and have a cleaner dining room appearance, diners at Somerset in Chicago get a ticket with a number to fetch their doggy bag at the host stand as they leave. Without a bag...

Researcher TDn2K has found that engagement is key to manager retention. Snooze, an A.M. Eatery doesn’t end managers’ training once they’re hired. Instead, all managers receive three hours of additiona...

While authenticity on the menu is a hot topic, some operations are finding success by embedding more authenticity into HR as well. On ArbyTube, Arby’s internal video platform inspired by YouTube, trai...

As consumers continue to want to eat local, the beer menu at Bounce in Milwaukee lists selections in order of the restaurant’s proximity to each brewery. 

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