Food Service Businesses Struggle to Grow

“You’d have to have multiple lines with more than one cashier and maybe other ways to order like an order screen next to windows.”

“I work at a historic hotel in a town with a population of 9. We do breakfast and lunch from a menu, but dinner is chef’s choice, family style, by reservation only. It’s great and gives me a lot of freedom, but it’s a 120 mile round trip just to meet the Sysco truck, let alone run to the store! submitted by /u/huntfishadvocate [link] [comments]”

“"the customer is there to get food, not make connections" is not an insoluble fact. Businesses have regulars. People patronize specific businesses. They do so for a myriad of reasons. Quality food is one. Good service is another. Feeling a connection does matter. Otherwise, why brand anything?”

“exactly why we don't do this shit with multiple places. we have one menu, one POS, one website. that's it.”

“you're already thinking in the right direction. i'd definitely keep reaching out to offices, medical practices, hotels, schools, and local event venues, but i'd also spend time building relationships instead of treating it like a one-time sales pitch. a lot of catering business comes from people remembering you when they need food for a meeting or event. one thing i learned while working with dineline is that restaurants usually grow faster when they focus on repeat customers as much”

“I try to keep a 5 min or less menu. It’s me and one other person. I cook and plate the helper takes orders and plates. We can hit up to $300 an hour steady without getting bogged down.”

submitted by /u/Zealousideal-Yard509 [link] [comments]

“So basically over the course of the next 2-3 weeks I'll be meeting and auditing a lot of folks from the catering industry maybe 30 people. I'm working on a research analysis so I thought to do some help to the community along the way If you or someone you know requires any catering services let me know the following details in the comments and I'll connect you with the best possible option of caterer for your budget Event type : Wedding/birthday/social gathering etc Budget per plate”

“I’ve been talking to a lot of independent caterers lately. Most are using either old clunky catering software, spreadsheets, or a mix of tools (email, Square, etc.). If you could add or fix one single thing that would save you the most time or headaches, what would it be? Real examples I’ve heard from caterers: - “The quoting process takes forever on mobile” - “Chasing clients for deposit payments is a nightmare” - “Client portals are confusing and they never log in” - “I still have to double-en”

“This is when maybe you might want to start thinking about catering and looking into events and other ways to maximize revenue”

“I lead a project that was a POS rollout at over 50 restaurants to install KDS machines. We contracted a company to do one a day. No mistakes. It was absolutely brutal. Every store had different networking setups which made it incredibly challenging. Make multiple spreadsheets to track everything. Let me know if you have any questions.”

“Kind of like an AMA, here's a weekly post where customers can ask questions. This is for anyone including market research, app developers, people who watch too much "reality" TV about bars, and general industry bullshit. Maybe a bar owner will have an answer for you, maybe not. If you are already in the industry your question may get better responses if you post your own thread instead of commenting here. submitted by /u/barowners [link] [comments]”

“serviceNOW if u have the time, money, and willing to have a person whos entire job to manage it and make it more efficient. that person is not me at work so thats a plus”

“The vendor overpromising. Not integrating well with finance software. Change management with a new system. We also have an employee card for purchasing and that was a challenge.”

“Not a PM by trade honestly, more of an IT lead who got handed this and told to figure it out. A year and a half is kind of daunting to hear but not surprising. What were the technical issues that caught you most off guard? Trying to get ahead of whatever I can before this thing starts snowballing.”

“What do you mean I need to scan a STICKER to pick up the order??? The restaurant didn't even put it on the drink until they released I had to scan it to pick up the order. can't imagine this'll be the last time that happens. Who else has this in their market? submitted by /u/Gengar_Guy_17 [link] [comments]”

“the train the trainer model is tricky with POS rollouts because whoever you bring in from each location ends up being the person everyone calls when something breaks, and they usually aren't ready for that. onsite support for golive is the part i'd push hardest on budget for”

“Budget is the real question here. We have someone internal who can own it, but they're already stretched thin on other things, so I'm not sure how much capacity they'd actually have to manage 30 sites at once. The rollout partner idea is tempting, but I'd want to know what that typically costs before going down that road. It could easily blow past what leadership approved for this.”

“the single point of contact thing is real, we learned that the hard way on a smaller rollout and it was chaos without it. the flagship pilot note is something i wish someone had told us earlier, because that is exactly what we did and it gave us a completely false read on how smooth the process would be. the stores that followed had totally different issues that never came up at the main location.”

“Hey everyone, We're a group of graduate students conducting research on how restaurant owners make decisions about technology and what kind of support they find most valuable. If you're a restaurant owner, operator, or involved in technology decisions at your restaurant, we'd love to hear from you. The survey takes about 5–8 minutes and covers topics like POS systems, media habits, and what kind of content you actually find useful. All responses are completely anonymous and will only”

“Hi yall i'm looking to book some more events and catering to fill up down times in between where we set up pretty permanently. I've been exploring the possibility of being a vendor on roaming hunger or one of those platforms like it. Anyone used it before? is it worth it? submitted by /u/Dull_Refrigerator367 [link] [comments]”

“I run a dinner restaurant, we started taking on private events a few months back but our current setup isn't built for it yet. The dining room was spec'd for 4-tops and 6-tops, that's it. So every time there's an event we're moving restaurant tables and dragging rounds out of storage, which is a huge hassle. Last saturday was our first time flipping the room twice in a day. 2 chairs had loose legs by the end of it and my service crews about done with me. trying to rethink the”

“You are hired to manage it and you want to outsource the management? What’s the timeline? Run a pilot at a flagship store. Take those learnings and then group them. Get the GM of each store to buy in and the rest will follow.”

“Best way to start is to familiarize yourself with tools that you would need to push customer retention. This isn't specific to restaurants. That's only a small industry. This can cover several industries. I'd say take at least a month & every evening spend at least a hour on each tool. I personally use manychat & canva & square combination. Now I also use other tools but those are the main ones. Just look at what restaurants or other businesses are doing poorly & work”

“All you guys pitching your tech solutions don’t know fuck all about our business and you think that you have a tech solution for us. You don’t.”

“Good afternoon everyone As we are wrapping up the World Cup, I would like to ask a few questions regarding expectations & reality. What were the largest problems for you during this time as an operation? Did you over prepare? I hear a lot of restaurants had wasted a lot of money due to over preparation? How are your wait times? Any overbooked reservations? Were there a lot of complaints regarding prices, tips, etc. Feel free to answer any of these questions thank you all so much. Your feedba”

“Smaller events on holidays have been huge for us. We parked at a local winery with live music and grossed around $500/hr for a 4 hour event. Small crew of 3. Was a great fit with an older crowd and a slower pace to service as they were enjoying the wine and music.”

“rebranding our menu and need 250 reprinted, single page, decent cardstock, maybe laminated for service. local quick-print quoted me way too high. who do you all use online for a menu run thats priced fair and doesnt take forever? high turnover spot so durability matters. submitted by /u/Lonely_Noyaaa [link] [comments]”

“For those overseeing high-volume restaurants, bars, or entertainment venues in the Broadway area, what incentives, programs, or retention strategies have been most successful in reducing bar staff turnover? I'm particularly interested in hearing what has actually moved the needle for bartenders, barbacks, and service staff. Have you found success with: Attendance or performance bonuses? Tip-sharing structures? Shift flexibility and scheduling practices? Career development or promotion pathwa”

“The restaurant/bar I've been working at for 4 years has been through three bar managers and just hired a new fourth one. The owner says he wants a bar manager who can actually bartend and hop behind the bar on busy nights to help with customers or service well, not just someone to place beer and liquor orders. At the end of her third training shift, and the new manager (with plenty of high volume experience) taking probably 4 minutes to make 3 drinks...Owner just gives me a side eye and a si”

“Kind of like an AMA, here's a weekly post where customers can ask questions. This is for anyone including market research, app developers, people who watch too much "reality" TV about bars, and general industry bullshit. Maybe a bar owner will have an answer for you, maybe not. If you are already in the industry your question may get better responses if you post your own thread instead of commenting here. submitted by /u/barowners [link] [comments]”

“This exact Toast-to-QBO timing issue is incredibly frustrating, especially with multiple locations. If Shogo fires before a batch is truly finalized, you're basically stuck playing detective at month-end. A lot of multi-unit operators outgrow Shogo for this reason and move to an automated, continuous reconciliation system. If you're looking for a better tool/workflow that actually syncs up the timing discrepancies and handles the messy restaurant-specific back office without the manual h”

“I think restaurants will absolutely pay for a QR ordering system in 2026, but not because it's "QR." They'll pay if it measurably improves operations or revenue. The biggest mistake I see is treating QR as the product. It isn't. Faster table turnover, fewer order mistakes, less time spent waiting for staff, higher average order value through smart upselling, and better guest experience, that's the product. On the flip side, I completely understand why some owners are sk”

“I have been in the restaurant industry over 10 years-mainly as a server. My boyfriend has over 20 years of experience and has done nearly all positions in the restaurant but has been a chef the past 10+ now. 6 months ago, we started discussing our plans for the future and how I didn’t want to be a server forever, but I love what I do. We genuinely have so much integrity in what we do, and I think that’s going to be our strongest asset going into opening a restaurant. After months of searching, w”

“What is your experience with Industry night discounts? In my town the whole city closes (lol) on Mondays. I am going to be open and I’m mulling over what specials for hospitality day/night. 30% off your tab? submitted by /u/Odd-Ad2381 [link] [comments]”

“We're operating a full-service restaurant in Houston and I think we're doing a pretty decent volume but growth feels stuck. We're busy enough but we're not growing month over month and customer retention isn't great. I know we need better marketing but honestly don't know where to start because there's too many options and I don't have time to figure it out while running the restaurant. How are you guys handling this? Do you manage it yourself or hire an agency? &”

“Kind of like an AMA, here's a weekly post where customers can ask questions. This is for anyone including market research, app developers, people who watch too much "reality" TV about bars, and general industry bullshit. Maybe a bar owner will have an answer for you, maybe not. If you are already in the industry your question may get better responses if you post your own thread instead of commenting here. submitted by /u/barowners [link] [comments]”

“Running a food business is expensive. Between the cost of ingredients, staff, equipment and rent or commissary fees there is not much left over. But the businesses that survive long term are always the ones where customers feel genuinely valued, not just served. So how do you do it without spending more money you don't have? Is it remembering names and orders? A little something extra on the house occasionally? Recognizing regulars in some way? I feel like appreciation is one of those things”

“Running a food business is expensive. Between the cost of ingredients, staff, equipment and rent or commissary fees there is not much left over. But the businesses that survive long term are always the ones where customers feel genuinely valued, not just served. So how do you do it without spending more money you don't have? Is it remembering names and orders? A little something extra on the house occasionally? Recognizing regulars in some way? I feel like appreciation is one of those things”

“I keep seeing vendors claim AI is transforming restaurants but nobody ever gets specific about what that actually means day to day. Like, what is it doing that a decent POS system and a trained front-of-house team couldn't already handle? I run a mid-size independent place, 80 covers, decent volume on weekends. We've looked at a few tools and every demo feels the same: polished slides, vague ROI claims, and then when you ask about integration with our existing setup the conversation gets”

“I recently added a private dining space to my restaurant. The buisness next door closed and it was a no brainer to add the space. Since this space is completely private we can now host medical and sales dinners. Which are great because they tend to prefer Tuesday and Wednesdays. We had our first two sales dinners this week and both days the guest count came in well below the confirmed reservation. We are in the buisness of making money, but also looking out for the longevity of the business with”

“I am looking for some insight on how other restaurants handle/ make their schedules every week. Back, a lot of years ago, when I would personally do the schedule myself we didn’t have as many employees, basically everyone had a set schedule and if you needed off on one of your set days normally someone one would switch a shift with you or just cover it. Now a days our manager does the schedule weekly. But it’s a headache and a nightmare every week. They will send the schedule out and have every”

“Kind of like an AMA, here's a weekly post where customers can ask questions. This is for anyone including market research, app developers, people who watch too much "reality" TV about bars, and general industry bullshit. Maybe a bar owner will have an answer for you, maybe not. If you are already in the industry your question may get better responses if you post your own thread instead of commenting here. submitted by /u/barowners [link] [comments]”

“I run a restaurant doing around ₹25,000/day in sales, but it feels like I'm just rolling money and not actually making much profit. Stock purchases, staff salaries, and daily expenses keep eating into the revenue. How do you track inventory and food wastage? Do you use software, spreadsheets, or manual stock counts? Also, do you pay yourself a fixed owner salary or just take what's left over? Would love to hear how other restaurant owners manage this and identify where”

“I've been thinking about an app idea and want some honest opinions before I sink real time into it. The idea: instead of every local business having its own app (which nobody downloads), there's one app where each local business — cafés, bakeries, whatever — has its own mini-app inside it. You download it once and get all of them (well, I guess you would pick the mini-apps you want based on where you actually go, but yeah). Inside each business's mini-app, you can order ahead and ord”

“Every local Facebook group is full of customers complaining about QR menus, and frankly they have a point. Sitting down to eat only to spend five minutes trying to load a massive 20MB PDF menu while your cell service is struggling sucks. it ruins the vibe immediately. but as owners, we are kind of stuck. prices are jumping every month and reprinting physical menus is a massive money pit. you can't just cross out prices with a sharpie or print cheap paper inserts forever. i've been trying”

“Trying to expand our catering business and want to see what other trucks are doing to get their name out there. Thankfully our festival circuit is good but I really need to fill out my schedule during the weekdays. Finding lucrative places to park during the week has been tough unless I go to Toronto and the competition for spots there is intense. Whats the best way to get catering leads? Cold calling corporations? Flyers? Wedding Planners? Any tips are appreciated. submitted by /u/M”

“I was talking to a cafe owner we work with who went fully hospitality-included a few months back. There's no tipping since service costs are baked into menu prices, so his team gets the same hourly year-round. I asked him why and he said tip fatigue was killing his customer experience. People were getting weird about even normal tipping at sit-down spots. I think a lot of what's driving this is the explosion of tip prompts, but curious where everyone here lands on this. Would you ever mo”

“Just had my second event this month where someone scheduled for dishwashing didn't show up and dishes piled up. What do you do when staff no-shows at the last minute?? Backup folks were busy too, and I feel weird about just posting on Craigslist. How do you know who can be a back up for you -- whatsapp or maybe some agencies or apps or anything else? submitted by /u/PutUnlikely742 [link] [comments]”

“After spending years in restaurant kitchens, one thing I've learned is that your menu is one of your best sales tools. What's one menu change you've made that actually increased sales or sped up ordering? For me, simplifying the menu and reducing decision fatigue almost always led to faster ticket times and happier customers. I'd love to hear what has worked for other restaurant owners and food truck operators. submitted by /u/Resident-Computer-17 [link] [commen”

“Curious whether any independent restaurateurs have found a productive use for AI apps or programs? I heard someone suggest that employee scheduling might benefit. Serious answers please. submitted by /u/Western-Driver-3500 [link] [comments]”

“Hello my question is for the first time brick and mortar locations and owners who worked from opening until today or maybe it picked up you don’t have to be there everyday. How long did it take to get to large amounts of customers level? What did you do differently from other similar concepts mainly marketing wise? submitted by /u/PuzzleheadedCow3437 [link] [comments]”

“I've been talking to a few restaurant and cafe owners about how they manage their menu screens and promo displays. What I keep hearing: - Most are still using USB drives with a PowerPoint or JPEG on a loop - The ones who tried ScreenCloud or Yodeck found it too complex or too expensive for one location - Updating a price or adding a daily special means someone has to physically touch the screen So I'm building something stupidly simple: plug a Chromecast into any TV, manage everything fr”

“Okaaaaay big boy... I quess it depends on which catering business you are and what kind of events you are attracting. Do you disagree on that? Or do you not work in a catering business yourself? Sounds like you only see the catering industry from your own nose-tip and your own misleading perception. In our case most of our catering events is held in people's homes, in their businesses or at our own Venue. I like your sentence "Caterers generally" - You do exactly like the general c”

“TL;DR - OP has no experience in catering and is using AI to scrape the internet for slop. Caterers generally provide only food and sometimes beverage. The venue usually provides beverages (both na and alcohol), books the tables, chairs, linens, entertainment, lighting and bartenders, etc. OP needs to work at a catering company to understand how the different facets of this industry work instead of posting typical bullet point AI slop.”