Entries by Hilary

Why Your Wine Menu Is Scaring Your Guests

February 27, 2015 in , , /by

Are you the kind of restaurateur who is proud of your vast wine list? Do you boast about the hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of bottles you stock? I’m sorry to tell you this, but even though your wine list may be awesome, it’s probably killing your sales. Today’s article clarifies why a long wine menu […]

How to Host a Better Restaurant Week and Get More Customers

February 23, 2015 in , /by

If your restaurant is in Chicago, restaurant week is officially over. The mad rush has ended, your restaurant week customers have left, and if you’re like most restaurateurs, you’re beating yourself up for every little thing you could have done better. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Channel that perfectionist energy into making next year […]

Choosing Your Restaurant Wine Glass – 3 Approaches

February 16, 2015 in /by

How many wines do you serve in your restaurant? How many types of glasses do you have to serve those wines? With the recent movements toward restaurant authenticity and simplicity, it shouldn’t surprise you that there are now two outspoken sides to the wine glass debate—as well as people who agree with both sides. Which […]

How Not to Advertise Your Restaurant – 10 Ways

February 9, 2015 in , /by

Running a restaurant is expensive. Advertising is expensive. With steep costs and tricky metrics, I tend to assume that restaurateurs want to make the most of their limited advertising budgets. However, since I see the same mistakes over and over, I have to figure that restaurateurs prefer to spend their time meditating in the peace […]

Cocktail Armageddon Is Here

January 26, 2015 in , , /by

The End Times might actually be here… but only if you’re a cocktail. That’s because a new trend, the Vapor Spirit, is starting to catch on. The Vapor Spirit is an invention that boils your favorite spirit so that you can literally inhale the alcohol through a straw. The Vapor Spirits product claims to make drinking […]

Gose: Why This Salty Beer Should Be on Your Restaurant Beer Menu

January 19, 2015 in /by

In the 1940s, Gose disappeared, but this thousand-year-old salty beer from Germany is making a comeback—and it just might be a great fit for your restaurant. Not only does this beer have a unique taste, it also features a comeback story that will get your customers wanting to try it out. Here’s why Gose just […]

Top 3 Tips for Restaurant Employee Retention in 2015 (Part 2)

January 14, 2015 in /by

Let’s face it: restaurant staffing is a pain in the butt. How many times in the last year did you put aside business strategizing to instead focus on dealing with trudging through yet another pile of resumes and applications? Wouldn’t it be great if you could just keep the employees you have, improve their knowledge […]

6 Methods Restaurants Use to Retain Staff (Part 1 of 2)

January 12, 2015 in /by

Did your restaurant staff have a high turnover rate in 2014? Not only do constantly shifting employees spread your restaurant secrets, the time that you spend advertising, interviewing, and training new servers to replace them is time that you don’t spend growing your restaurant. I’m sure your New Years resolution this year is to improve […]