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Amanda M. Westbrooks

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Amanda M. Westbrooks

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Technology

Efficient digital signage is smarter than the average menu board

Scott Redler has no trouble counting the reasons that Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers invested in digital menu boards. The chain’s chief operating officer says that in a growing...

Operations

4 growing pains of kiosks in restaurants

Kiosk implementation is happening quickly. Here are several factors to consider when making the tech-heavy transition so operators and guests don't feel a negative impact.

Operations

Making space on the griddle for all-day breakfast

Interest in all-day breakfast means more energy and space for the equipment to make it. IHOP divides its four griddles into five stations to keep ingredients separate.

Marketing

On-the-spot guest recovery

Complaints are unavoidable in restaurants. But how operators handle issues often dictates consumers’ brand perception, as well as their willingness to return.

Marketing

Mystery offerings can draw a crowd

With POS data capturing every customized order, developing a secret menu can be as straightforward as reading data and building codes and cache for off-menu favorites.

Operations

4 rules of open kitchen etiquette

Open kitchen concepts satisfy the curiosity and demand for transparency of the public, but they are a modern-day fishbowl for chefs. Here are some best practices.

Food

Food safety in a post-Chipotle world

Centralized kitchens to prep ingredients, DNA testing of product and hiring a dream team of food safety specialists all are moves to deliver safe eating.

Financing

How to balance speed and service

Servers need to be equipped to walk guests through a DIY process in a short period of time, like Blaze Pizza's eight to 10 minutes, while still delivering hospitality.

Leadership

4 tips to run a successful companywide meeting

Systemwide meetings can serve many purposes—damage control, ideation, recognition, training—but do you need a meeting? Is your message being understood?

Financing

How to profit from patio dining

As the weather warms up, operators need to act smart to profit from patio dining.

Workforce

4 ways job fairs can lead to top staff talent

Whether hiring for one store or on a larger scale, there are ways to bolster an operator’s job fair experience. Here are four ideas that have worked.

Technology

4 ways to gather customer feedback beyond an app

While apps and other high-tech tools provide data for operators, that doesn’t negate the benefits and effectiveness of low-tech comment-collecting methods.