For full-service restaurants, Mother’s Day can be the busiest day of the year. If you execute it flawlessly, it can also set you up to increase your sales for the rest of the year. Mother’s Day is a reputation maker for restaurants. Where most restauranteurs make their mistake is in focusing on making mothers happy. […] The post Mother’s Day: It’s About a Lot More Than Mothers first appeared on Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting ..read more

Spring is definitely patio season. That means restaurants get to significantly increase their seating capacity…and therefore their ability to generate revenue. Imagine if a hotel in were able to go from 120 rooms to 190 rooms just as demand for those rooms spiked, say for graduation or a major sporting championship. Wall Street would call […] The post 10 Spring Menu Ideas for Restaurant Patio Season first appeared on Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting ..read more

By the time COVID struck in 2019, consumers were already drawing a black line between dining for experience and just eating. Full-service, chef-driven concepts were already losing favor as demand for convenience and speed continued to grow. Cooking meals through a recipe from raw ingredients had already taken third place as cost and quality were […] The post Don’t Give COVID Credit for These 6 Dining Trends first appeared on Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting ..read more

Welcome to 2024. The year began with more minimum wage increases across the country and the elimination of tip credits in more states. With these wage increases we also see increases in payroll taxes. Overall labor costs that should be hovering in the mid thirty percent range are quickly moving to ten percentage points higher. […] The post I Dreamed of a Restaurant with No Labor first appeared on Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting ..read more

Once upon a time, you created and launched your new restaurant. Maybe it was 2005… or just 2015… or maybe you inherited your parent’s restaurant that they created in 1985. Maybe it was sexy or maybe you were the first ones serving fresh pasta…or maybe you were the first to offer health insurance to servers. […] The post 5 Reasons to Change Your Restaurant Concept first appeared on Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting ..read more

Over the last 3 years restaurants have seen a rapid increase in solo diners. Open Table reports over a 110% increase in single person reservations making it one of the largest and fastest growing dining segments in the US. There are many theories about why more and more people are dining alone, but the most … 2024: Time to Embrace the Solo Diner Read More » The post 2024: Time to Embrace the Solo Diner first appeared on Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting ..read more

The first quarter of the year can be a challenging period for restaurants, often characterized by a lull in customer traffic and reduced sales. Factors like post-holiday spending fatigue, harsh weather conditions, and New Year’s resolutions to save money or eat healthier contribute to this slump. However, there are proactive measures that restaurants can take … Boosting Restaurant Sales in the Slow Q1: Five Effective Strategies Read More » The post Boosting Restaurant Sales in the Slow Q1: Five Effective Strategies first appeared on Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting ..read more

The Fall Classic is a perfect cocktail to serve when hosting for the holidays, bursting with the warm flavors of the season. Martinelli’s Sparkling Cider was a staple of our family holiday gatherings, served at the kid’s table while the grown-ups sipped Champagne. Named for our love of baseball, this easy-drinking crowd-pleaser can be sized … The Fall Classic Read More » The post The Fall Classic first appeared on Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting ..read more

The restaurant world is high steaks and boils down to one thing – location, location, location! The success of a restaurant is like the punchline to a good joke; it depends on where you tell it. You see, choosing the right spot for your restaurant is as essential as having a secret sauce. One of … Don’t make a Miss-Steak, Choose a Prime Restaurant Location Read More » The post Don’t make a Miss-Steak, Choose a Prime Restaurant Location first appeared on Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting ..read more

“I’m too busy to make more money.” No restauranteur has ever said that, right? WRONG. Every year restauranteurs approach the period from Black Friday to New Year’s Day thinking they will be so busy they can’t possibly accommodate everyone. They limit the number of private events, they limit the number of reservations, and they limit … Don’t Be Afraid of Holiday Business Read More » The post Don’t Be Afraid of Holiday Business first appeared on Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting ..read more