Why Restaurants Shouldn’t Build Their Own Mobile Apps

/in , /by

Technology use among restaurants is seeing fast paced growth, and restaurant operators are beginning to understand the importance of mobile and tablet technology to improve their top and bottom line.  According to Hudson Riehle, Senior Vice President of Research for the National Restaurant Association, use of technology is expanding among all age groups.  No, it’s not just teens who want to use the latest technology for their dining experience.  Our customers report even consumers in the 65+ age bracket enjoy using iPad menus to choose a wine or beverage for their meal.

Read more

How Will You Deal with Increasing Beer Prices?

/in , , /by

Have you heard? The price of craft beer is expected to rise quite a bit over the next year—and for the restaurants and bars that base a lot of their business on craft beers, a price hike can be devastating. Here are the main facts you need to know about the impending beer shortage your establishment may have to deal with in 2015. 

Read more

Seriously. Clean Your Restaurant Today. Here’s Why.

/in , /by

Is your restaurant dirty? If it is, that needs to change, and I don’t mean you should deal with it tomorrow. You’ll want to deal with your restaurant’s cleanliness levels today. Here’s the detailed case for why you should keep up with your restaurant cleanliness.  
Read more

Where Craft Beer is Losing On Restaurant Menus

Top 2014 Beer Trends for Restaurants

/in , /by

It’s undeniable that the craft beer industry is booming–but how about your restaurant? Your diners may ​now search out restaurants based on the number of craft brews they carry, and if your menu carries a large variety of brews on tap, you’ve probably been dominating the scene. However, with so many brews now ​available at the local liquor store, your​ restaurant can no longer survive just by playing a ​numbers game. You need a strategy, and that starts with identifying and capitalizing on the ​latest beer trends. Here are the top beer trends you need to know about to keep your sales strong in the competitive holiday season.

Read more

How to Choose an iPad Wine Menu Solution for Your Restaurant

/in , /by

By now you’re hearing about iPad wine lists or iPad drink menus popping up at restaurants around the world.  There’s a large number of solutions out there to choose from and finding the right solution for your restaurant can be difficult.  Here I’ve broken down some of the top considerations for you to think about when evaluating tablet menus for your restaurant. Read more

Deliciously Scary: Becoming a Haunted Restaurant or Bar

/in , /by

Halloween is upon us, and not only are ghostly stories all around you, the bars and restaurants that profit off of those tales are everywhere too. Jealous of all the action that your haunted competitors have at this time of year? Here’s how you can leverage your own spooky history to become an acclaimed haunted place.

Read more

Lager Loving Ladies and You

/in , /by

Last week, an event took place here in Chicago named “She’s Crafty: Women in Craft Beer” and while I couldn’t attend, the existence of such an event again points to the ongoing and increasing trend of women drinking and enjoying craft beer in the US. Any number of polls will show that beer-drinking is up across the board in the US, but what is less well-reported is how many of those drinkers are women.

So, what can restaurateurs and brewers do to take advantage of this trend? Read more

Restaurant Simplicity Part 3: Dangerous Decor

/in /by

We’ve talked about restaurant simplicity for the past few weeks here on the Uncorkd blog. Having talked about your menu and your plating, we’re going to wrap up by discussing your decor. Today, we’re talking about how too much decor can be a bad thing. Read on to hear about why over-decorating makes your guests nervous, and to learn why you should reconsider those busy walls.

Read more

Restaurant Simplicity Part 2: The Case for Clean Plating

/in , /by

After your guests have ordered their meals, their second impression of your restaurant will come from how their meal is served. We’ve talked a lot about customer service on this blog, but this isn’t about customer service, it’s about plating. Here’s why plating matters much more in your restaurant than you’ve previously suspected.

Read more

Drink Menu Pricing

Restaurant Simplicity, Part 1: How to Strengthen Your Menu

/in , /by

It is a fact that running a restaurant or bar has become too complex. In fact, it’s not just restaurants and bars, it’s everything. Work hours are longer for everyone, the cost of leisure activities are more expensive for everyone, the pile of obstacles that we face when trying to accomplish tasks just grows higher every single day—and every day of our lives, we have to prepare ourselves for a battle or a sacrifice. It’s time for all that stress to stop. This three-part series explores how you can make your restaurant or bar a calm oasis for your guests to escape the hectic difficulties of life. The first thing you should simplify is your menu—here’s how to do that. Read more