Nikunj Kataria’s Post

Once upon a time there was a brunch restaurant... 🥞 ✨ The restaurant was closing soon, so they decided to serve their final pancake-craving customer with the biggest pancake they'd ever seen. It was their last order of the day, so the cook thought "Why not? I'll just use the rest of the batter for their order. It's going in the trash, anyways!" It was the customer's first time dining at the restaurant. They LOVED their pancake. "This is the biggest pancake I've ever SEEN!" they'd exclaimed, gleefully. That next Sunday, they came back to the restaurant - this time bringing their friends & family for the occasion. Everyone ordered 1 pancake. When their food came out they all looked at their plates disappointingly, then over to their friend questioningly. Nothing stings worse than being hyped up about a killer meal, only to be brought out one normal-sized pancake! 😢 This is a real story. I was the manager called to the table to explain the situation to the customer who had only dined with us twice & was threatening never to return (alongside 8 other brand new customers!). This is a story about the importance of #consistency in a business model, level setting #expectations, & celebrating with your clients when you #exceed those expectations (as opposed to acting like they're the norm). This translates SO WELL to the #businessdevelopment space. Does anyone else have a pancake story? How did you handle it? Did it build or break trust? 🤔 💭

Three ways to support local businesses that have impact. 1) Literally give them money. Go in, buy from them, enjoy. 2) Write Yelp reviews. Share those recommendations. Because if you don’t review it, how will they know? 3) Every year, Yelp asks the Community for their input on which businesses should be part of the Yelp Top 100 Places to Eat list for the upcoming year. It's a big recognition that provides immense exposure for the featured businesses. It's that time. Share your favorite local eatery.

Last night, we ate at one of the better restaurants in the area. Little did we know it was McDonald's takeover night, so the menu was inspired by McDonald's classics - Filet O' Fish, Chicken Nuggets, and Hand Held Apple Pie. Then we ordered. Could we have no tartar sauce on the Filet? Standard request, right? But, NO SUBSTITUTIONS was the response. There were 4 other people in the restaurant. We could see no take-out orders. But, no to eliminating the tartar sauce. I have never heard anything so crazy (not wholly accurate), but we complied. I get that the chef wants to make only a few different dishes, but wouldn't this have saved a step? One size does not fit all - not in restaurants, with your children, in your relationships, and definitely not with your employees and candidates. People want variety and flexibility. They want to know they matter. "Special orders don't upset us!" ( I know this slogan is from BK, but you get the idea). Will we go back to his restaurant? Probably not. Weigh in - what do you think? Donna Star

WHY DID THE OTHER TABLE GOT SERVED FIRST? Sometimes, in restaurants, I can’t help but notice other tables being served ahead of ours, even though we ordered first before them. Do you experience the same? In my younger years, I would complain. I would even question the server. In the worse situation, I'd call the manager. What I didn’t know was, the other table might have ordered a simple dish that doesn’t need much time to prepare. This made me realize that, it’s not about who ordered first. It’s about WHAT you asked for. The next time we see other people getting answers to their prayers ahead of us, please know that God might have something special being prepared for you - every detail of it being taken care of - that’s why it’s taking longer. Like in a restaurant, the moment you’ve placed your order, it’s already being taken care of in the kitchen. Expect it will come no matter how long it takes. The steak tastes really good when we patiently wait. Follow-up mo lang, okay lang yun! #ctto

It's hard to wrap your head around how on earth restaurants are able to make money; this article gives a little insight into a barbeque restaurant: https://lnkd.in/gSmxw_n2

Answer me this: I bet I know what your answer is.. When on a business lunch, what do you tend to order more than anything else? Think about it. Is it a Chicken Caesar Salad? Chicken Caesar Salad has turned into the Espresso Martini of lunch. If you are going to open for lunch or open a lunch place, you better nail the CCS. It is the item that will sell the most and because of this, it will be the reason people come back and try the rest of your menu or decide against it. It's not terribly difficult to get customers to return, if you know what to focus on. If you made it this far in the post, you're probably interested in this stuff. Or you went to high school with me and remember a very different version of me. If it's the former, follow along and share with someone you think might enjoy this or who just orders Chicken Caesar Salad's. #restaurant #hospitalityindustry #restaurantowner

There are a lot of factors that determine the success of your restaurant. Generally, a successful restaurant needs: ✅ A good location ✅ Good quality food ✅ Exceptional service ✅ A well-engineered menu ✅ An owner with an understanding of the industry. ✅ The right tools There are, of course, other factors such as inventory management, food costs, staff (hence having the right tools) and the economy of the country you're in - but focus on what you can do and then do it well. #restaurantindustry #recipecostcalculator

Buying Power A hungry individual enters a high-end restaurant and peruses the menu: Realizes it's not the right place, drinks water, and exits - Poor person Looks at the prices before ordering food - Lower middle class Chooses the dish first and then checks the price before ordering - Upper middle class Orders preferred dishes without consulting the menu - Rich person. Of course, there might be more accurate ways to assess buying power.

Are your accessibility practices proactive or reactive?

An interesting value proposition - do you think we'll get on board? I attended a webinar this morning, which showed some survey results from the UK indicating the top three reasons someone chooses to dine out where they do are: 1. Familiarity, they've eaten there before 2. Convenience, it's close to where they are at the time 3. Value, it's a good bang for their buck Further down the list are things like quality of ingredients (No. 5), friendly service (No. 8), or locally sourced ingredients (way down at No. 16). Although this doesn't reflect an American consumer population, I'd venture to guess the rankings would be similar. In this era of heightened consciousness about food waste + price sensitivity, what do you think about reduced portion sizes in restaurant settings? (webinar presented at the Food Navigator Digital Summit for Climate Smart Food)