How Gen Z's tastes are shaping campus dining trends

📋 Menu audit = margin booster When was the last time you audited your menu? In this Catering clips episode, we share how restaurants are: ✅ Reviewing margins item by item ✅ Cutting low-performing dishes ✅ Focusing on the tightest, highest-margin, most-loved items A smaller, smarter menu isn’t just good for the bottom line. It simplifies operations and delights guests. 🎥 Watch now: https://hubs.ly/Q03KcN9T0 #restauranttech #menuengineering #cateringclips #restaurantgrowth #foodservice #App8

Earlier today, our founder Alex was walking back from a meeting when he struck up a conversation with the manager of a two-site restaurant. After hearing about the TasteBuddy mission, the manager was eager to share their allergen menus. The challenge? They could only be viewed by visiting the restaurant in person. That’s where the collaboration begins. Together, TasteBuddy and the restaurant will bring their menus online with live allergen updates, highlight kitchen practices, and make dining safer and more transparent for every guest. Each new partnership helps us show how transparent data can unlock growth for restaurants, and the wider food ecosystem.

A joint study analyzed 2,000 reviews across 18 restaurant chains. Turns out only 6% nail both operations AND emotional connection. The other 94%? Serving technically perfect meals, customers forget by tomorrow. Download the study https://lnkd.in/gkhy765S

QSRs have long been leaders in kitchen efficiency, menu design, and speed. Convenience retailers have taken note, and today, those lessons are transforming the food experience in c-stores. At TXB, we’ve applied QSR principles to expand fresh food offerings, improve preparation times, and deliver meals that truly compete with fast-casual dining. The takeaway is simple: guests don’t distinguish between “restaurant” and “c-store” when it comes to quality. They just want food that’s fresh, fast, and worth coming back for.

Forget another catered lunch—let’s talk about experiences. When food feels intentional, culture thrives. When it’s just a checkbox, connection gets lost. Here’s what we’ve learned after decades of corporate dining: → Great menus bring teams together → Dietary inclusion builds trust → Creativity in food sparks creativity in people Because the right meal doesn’t just feed your team—it fuels it. 🍽️ We’ve rounded up 5 chef-approved menu ideas to turn your next event into something people will actually remember (and talk about long after). 👉 Read the full guide: https://lnkd.in/g-u6bdkX #FoodForThought #CorporateCatering #EmployeeExperience #WorkplaceCulture #EventPlanning #TeamEngagement #CateringIdeas #ChicagoEvents #CultureAtWork

Saladplate 2025 Restaurant Technology Outlook Report - Coming soon! New Reports, New Formats, and New Insights! This report covers survey results of more than 550 restaurant operators of all sizes and segments to understand what technology they’re embracing (or not), as well as their business goals and, most importantly, where they’ll be directing their budgets and attention this year. The results reveal a restaurant industry that is still all-in on technology updates - nearly all respondents plan to make tech moves this year - with a greater understanding of how a digital-first business can drive results. Watch this space as this exclusive report is released for download soon! #Saladplate #Technology #Restaurant #InformaMarkets #Hospitality #Food #Beverage

Tipping is one of the hottest topics in the restaurant industry—and the latest data from Toast reveals surprising insights. In Q2 2025, the average tip hit an all-time low of 19.1% at full service restaurants and 15.8% at quick service restaurants. But that’s only part of the story. In this exclusive webinar, IFBTA and Toast's Kelly Sennatt Esten and Brian Koerber break down the data behind this summer's guest behaviors. From tipping trends to summer dining patterns by city, cuisine type, and restaurant format, uncover the shifts shaping the industry right now. Check out this data-driven conversation that goes deeper than the headlines. Full Webinar: https://lnkd.in/gpVXCsnR #restauranttrends #summertrends #tippingtrends #restauranttech #foodandbeverage

If CONSISTENCY is the key to a successful product, how do you achieve it? SPECIALIZATION Arturo Zamora, Executive Chef on the cruise ship Majestic Princess feeds thousands of passengers and crew each day—24,000 meals a day, across multiple dining rooms. Typically there are 5 to 6 appetizer/salad courses and 5 to 6 main selections. They SIMPLIFY. The same courses are offered across multiple dining rooms for every meal. They CONCENTRATE the cooking. There is one prep kitchen for all vegetables on the ship where they do all the peeling and chopping. The chef’s only have to cook. The real secret is that a single team of four chefs create only a single dish each meal. 🔑🥘 The result is exceptional consistency and excellence. Another outcome is order. The galley (kitchen) is immaculately clean—nothing is out of place. The pace is demanding yet calm. Not the frenetic chaos you might expect, but a sense of competence and stability. In business we look to produce a consistent product, yet often our internal operations lack the alignment to create that outcome. Yes, a small business doesn’t have the resources of a larger organization—such as a 1,000 crew cruise ship—but what lessons can you draw from being concentrated and simplified to achieving the goal of consistency? #sandiegobusiness #sandiegoceo #consistency #simplify #concentrated

When Aks Sethi first visited Chipotle in 2014, he didn’t just see a burrito bowl—he saw the future of dining. At the time, Sethi was running Thai Chili, a full-service restaurant in Gilbert, Arizona, known for its authentic Thai dishes and expansive 90-item menu. But inspired by the fast-casual model, he decided to take his most-loved dishes and reimagine them for guests on the go. The result? Thai Chili 2go, which debuted in 2015 with a streamlined menu, a focus on convenience, and a commitment to quality. The concept took off immediately—and hasn’t looked back since. Fast forward 10 years, and Thai Chili 2go has: --Grown to 16 locations (with several more in development) --Built its own commissary and supply chain to ensure consistency and efficiency --Invested in tech-forward tools like kiosks, mobile ordering, and loyalty integration --Created a brand that’s approachable, modern, and distinctly Thai The mission is simple yet powerful: make Thai food easy to order, fast to enjoy, and impossible to forget. READ MORE: https://lnkd.in/erNPKvaS

69% of Americans go out to eat at least once per month, but a new report finds that many of these diners are starting to tighten their belts.    How are rising costs reshaping America’s dining habits? YouGov’s US dining out report 2025 explores how different groups of Americans are reacting to rising restaurant prices and what the industry needs to know to keep their kitchens cooking.    Download your copy here: https://lnkd.in/eXm6y2KF