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50 Great Ideas

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

50 Great Ideas

11. Beyond the blue plate special

 Aug. 07, 2018

Punch Bowl Social offers a blue plate special but takes the colored plates a step further. The eatertainment chain offers a green plate special—a plant-forward dish catering to the increase in diners ...

50 Great Ideas

10. Cocktail list to suit the guests

 Aug. 07, 2018

Houlihan’s divides its restaurants into one of three tiers, then creates a drink menu tailored to the typical guest. Tier 1 guests care most about value, Tier 2 customers put equal weight on brands an...

50 Great Ideas

6. Out with training manuals

Aug. 06, 2018

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...

50 Great Ideas

1. Approachable guest education

Aug. 06, 2018

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...

50 Great Ideas

2. Targeted outreach

Aug. 06, 2018

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...

50 Great Ideas

3. Ongoing career development

Aug. 06, 2018

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...

50 Great Ideas

4. All are welcome

Aug. 06, 2018

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 ...

50 Great Ideas

5. Tapping closures for staffers

Aug. 06, 2018

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...

50 Great Ideas

7. Owner's name here

Aug. 06, 2018

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...

50 Great Ideas

8. Doggy bag collection

Aug. 06, 2018

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...

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