A Complete Guide to Restaurant SMS Marketing
Discover how restaurant SMS marketing works, from building subscriber lists and creating campaigns to improving engagement and measuring marketing performance.
Aug 14, 2026
Discover how restaurant SMS marketing works, from building subscriber lists and creating campaigns to improving engagement and measuring marketing performance.
Aug 14, 2026
The transition of Pizza Hut's CEO, Aaron Powell, marks a pivotal moment for the chain and offers valuable leadership lessons for restaurant owners. Here’s what this executive change could mean for your business.
Aug 17, 2026
Panera Bread welcomes Andrew Rebhun as its new CMO to spearhead strategic brand growth and transformation, bolstering its vision for 2028.
Aug 17, 2026
Learn how to manage cash flow in your restaurant by tracking finances, controlling costs, forecasting needs, and building cash reserves.
Aug 14, 2026
Increase online orders by simplifying checkout, optimizing menus, improving Google visibility, promoting ordering channels, and encouraging customers to order again.
Aug 12, 2026
Streamline restaurant back office operations by standardizing workflows, automating repetitive tasks, integrating systems, centralizing data, and improving accountability and efficiency.
Aug 12, 2026
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers promotes Rick Petralia to Executive Chef & VP of Training & Innovation, signaling a strategic focus on culinary excellence and franchisee support.
Aug 12, 2026
McDonald’s USA has appointed Patrick Gerber as chief restaurant officer, leveraging his decades of global experience to boost operations, food quality, and customer satisfaction in the U.S. market.
Aug 11, 2026
MOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes partners with Great USA Foods LLC to launch a master franchise in the UAE, accelerating international expansion into Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Learn the impact for restaurant owners and growth lessons.
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Avoiding hiring mistakes helps restaurant owners reduce turnover, control labor costs, improve staffing decisions, and build stronger, more reliable teams.
Aug 10, 2026
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Food supply chain visibility improves inventory management and optimizes relationships with customers. Here is an overview of visibility benefits for the supply chain.

Though everyone has been affected by the COVID pandemic in one way or another, the restaurant industry has been probably one of the hardest hit. New restrictions on in-person interactions, social distancing requirements, and sanitation requirements have made it difficult for the restaurant industry to survive. Small diners across the country have shut down, lost profits, and laid off their workforce. With all of these changes, the restaurant industry has had no choice but to evolve. Adaptability and gaining more visibility to optimize the supply chain is the path forward for retail food diners who want to wave through this disruption and come out the other side. Read ahead to learn about the many benefits of supply chain visibility and how those in the food service industry can gain visibility into the food chain and food security issues-

As restaurants across the United States are reopening with new restrictions placed on them to protect public health, they have no choice but to continue to improve their supply chain management. Increasing visibility or transparency will help restaurants adapt to this disruption and manage inefficiencies in the chain quickly. It can also prevent food waste and pinpoint food safety issues before they become a problem. Long term visibility is gained through data collection, open communication, technology systems, and improvements in tracking. Without a set of policies that maintain visibility in the food processing system, it's difficult to gain insight into problems and manage inventory properly.
Visibility also allows companies to harness information from the supply chain to satisfy consumers. Consumers are seeking more transparency about the quality and safety of their global food supply. Utilizing technology systems to monitor food quality, temperature controls, and prevent spoilage can help prevent problems before they arise. It also offers a way for health-conscious restaurants to attract new patrons by promoting a sustainable and transparent brand. Gaining full visibility allows everyone to focus on compliance and audits rather than just quality and safety issues. In short, it helps improve the entire food industry-from consumer to the farmer to the restaurant.

Restaurants are just one of many industries facing the evolving diversification of patron tastes and demands. Though there are still segments of the population that don't care about where their food comes from or how it's grown, more and more do. Patrons want to eat locally-grown, organic, or vegan foods, rather than processed. Globalization has further complicated matters as ingredients now come from all corners of the earth. To meet consumer transparency demands, restaurants are improving traceability to ensure their foods are safe and fresh. Coupled with the pressures of the pandemic and increased regulations, these challenges may seem like too much for some to bear. Luckily, many restaurants have taken the initiative to do the following best practices to meet consumer demands, improve traceability, and increase visibility into the supply chain-
During the purchase order process, restaurants can use technology to gain insight into the supply chain. These insights derived from food data can help improve efficiency and track all of the interactions that occur in the restaurant's chain system. PO platforms allow involved stakeholders to connect, collaborate, and automate their processes to help ensure order accuracy, quantity, and cost without the need for regular oversight. They also gather and store large amounts of information that provides the visibility needed to understand the supply chain process and find areas for improvement. These real-time insights will help the restaurant industry manage orders better and optimize the supply/demand process for better inventory management.
Technology is only one part of the puzzle for restaurants that want to improve visibility and optimize supply/demand. Hiring an external team of experts who can drill down into food data and use their knowledge to find solutions can help diners meet their needs. Experts can analyze ordering, deliveries, logistics, and receiving to see if there are any gaps or inefficiencies that need improvement. They can use their insights to create standardized solutions and procedures that save money, attract new patrons, and handle the COVID-based restrictions.

Promotions and limited offers can be great for increasing sales, building brand loyalty, and attracting new customers. However, if the restaurant is facing product shortages due to supply chain mismanagement, it can be quite an embarrassing mistake that leads to the exact opposite results the restaurant hopes for. Before implementing a promotion or limited offer, make certain that there is enough visibility into the supply chain and food systems to know it can meet anticipated demand. Forecasting and modeling tools can be helpful to figure out how much product is needed and when. Furthermore, the restaurant should have open and honest communication with all of its suppliers. Everyone in the chain should have plenty of time to prepare and manage an upcoming promotion to ensure a successful outcome.
In conclusion, here are the key points to remember managing supply chain visibility-