Across the country, more restaurants are turning to local farms, dairies, and producers to meet growing customer demand for fresh, regional ingredients. This is not just a flavor trend, it’s a revolution in values. Diners in 2025 are more influenced by sustainability, transparency, and the need to be part of their local economy. According to current statistics, more than 75% of customers would be more apt to dine at restaurants that serve locally grown food.
If you’re considering this approach, you’re not alone. Local food sourcing brings real benefits, but it also calls for careful planning, from managing suppliers to adjusting your preparation and storage requirements. In this blog, we’ll walk you through why local sourcing is gaining momentum, how feasible it is depending on where you operate, and what to think about as you get started.
Ghost kitchens are no longer a novelty. What began as an experimental response to shifting consumer habits has matured into a mainstream operating model across fast food, fine dining, and startup food brands. While the pandemic accelerated adoption, the model has continued to evolve, bringing new strategies, players, and challenges with it.
There’s been a lot of talk lately about import tariffs, and as a restaurant owner, you might be wondering what all of this has to do with you. Running a restaurant comes with its fair share of challenges, from managing food costs to keeping customers happy. Staying informed about economic factors like tariffs is crucial for protecting your business.
The saying goes, “You only get one chance to make a first impression,” and nowhere is this truer than in the competitive restaurant industry. First-time diners often form an initial impression quickly, and from there, they decide whether your restaurant is worth returning to or if it will be a one-and-done experience.
When it comes to serving dishes in your restaurant, chefs aim to produce bright, aesthetically pleasing plates. Our brains naturally notice and are attracted to colors.
That same tendency that makes dishes appealing can be applied to back-end restaurant tasks. Color-coded systems can streamline cleaning tasks, ensure compliance with food safety laws, organize staff duties, and prevent cross-contamination of allergens.
A sturdy, ergonomic and high-quality forged-steel chef’s knife can cost from tens to hundreds of dollars. The jury is still out on whether it’s actually worthwhile to shell out hundreds of dollars for a handmade knife. However, what is definitely certain is that if you take the time to invest in choosing a good chef’s knife, it’s more than worthwhile to invest in maintaining that knife.
There’s a well known expression, “born with a silver spoon in her mouth.” This expression dates back to the Middle Ages, where peasants and those of low-birth status had scant access to quality dining ware, if at all. By contrast, the “let them eat cake” class not only had spoons, but those spoons were made out of silver and handcrafted with the family crest or other decorations. Maybe that’s how the notion of silverware as a formal, luxury item became part of the culture. But, even in today’s era, surveys shows that customers are willing to pay more for a meal served with high-quality silverware.
The popular saying goes, “You are what you eat.” But it may be more accurate in the food industry to say, “You are what you eat with.” Diners judge restaurants by a lot of different factors – the taste of the food, the quality of the service, the ambiance. One small detail that sometimes gets overlooked, but that can significantly affect customer comfort and satisfaction, is what they are eating with – the flatware and utensils.
There are two types of diners at a restaurant. The first one walks in, knows exactly what they want to order and within minutes has ordered and is patiently waiting to be served. The second pores over the menu for a long time, weighing each and every option. This diner seeks a unique culinary experience and is eager to try new foods.
The Prix Fixe menu is a menu format that offers benefits to both ordering styles. It’s a great option for other reasons as well. It can be used to control costs, promote or test new dishes or streamline holiday / special event dining into quicker and more efficient service.
Matt Kalil is a former NFL offensive tackle. Like most football lineman, Kalil is a big guy and he keeps up his physique by consuming 5,000-6,000 calories per day. To ensure he gets enough calories and protein, Kalil “indulges” in three protein shakes daily, each containing 60 grams of protein.
Kalil may be an extreme example, but he isn’t the only athlete pounding the protein. The protein supplement market size is around nine billion dollars annually, and is expected to grow to nearly 30 billion over the next decade.
Last month’s blog focused on natural functional foods, like mushrooms for memory, caffeine for alertness, and whole grains for heart health. In this blog, we will explore the other side of the functional market, including supplementation, fortified foods, and ingredients that are nutritionally enhanced.