Revenue Management

🥣 COVID-19 in 2020 led to a decline in dine-in restaurant transactions and an increase in takeaway services. In 2021, easing pandemic measures saw a surge in dine-in demand, despite ongoing social distancing and mask mandates, causing dine-in transactions to rebound and takeaway growth to slow.

🍽 Dallas welcomes Victory Social, a new 12,000-square-foot food hall situated near the American Airlines Center. Hospitality Alliance, known for creating dining destinations, launched this upscale space featuring six unique dining concepts and a full bar, managed by veteran chef Josh Harmon. Victory Social provides a diverse range of culinary options, including Rise & Thyme café, Birdie's Southern-Asian fusion, Park Bistro's soups and salads, Itzá Cocina's contemporary taqueria, D’oro Italiano's Neapolitan pizzas and pastas, and Victory Grill's steaks and seafood. The space also offers a private dining experience, with reservations available via Toast. Hospitality Alliance is expanding with three additional concepts at Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas.

🌱 Ramps, or wild leeks, with a garlicky-onion flavor, are available from late March to early May and have become a culinary highlight signaling spring in restaurants. Their popularity on U.S. menus has increased by 32% over four years, now appearing on 0.8% of menus, particularly at fine-dining and independent establishments. This trend is driven by the demand for local and seasonal ingredients, with Gen Z and Millennials as the main consumers.

👤 Dutch Bros Inc. has a Facebook page with over 60,000 followers for sticker drops. 📅 Since 1999, stickers have been a key part of Dutch Bros' marketing, with designs becoming collectors' items. 📍 Dutch Bros, headquartered in Grants Pass, Ore., operates 950 locations across 18 states as of September 30. 📊 Customers collect stickers from Dutch Bros shops on the first Wednesday of each month and through the Dutch Rewards program on their app.

🍦 In September, Berg Hospitality Group in Houston collaborated with Carvel, known for 330 ice cream parlors. Their new venture, Buttermilk Baby, is a casual soda shop offering fried chicken sandwiches, burgers, alcoholic milkshakes, and Carvel treats like Fudgie the Whale. Aiming for 10 locations in five years, they plan to open next in Sugarland, Texas. Owner Benjamin Berg intends to combine chef-driven food with a laid-back atmosphere, targeting both kids and adults.

🍴 In the Stephens Annual Investment Conference in November, One Restaurant Group CEO Emanual "Manny" Hilario observed Thursdays to Saturdays becoming "dead days" for dining, with a shift to earlier in the week. San Francisco restaurants noted similar trends. During BJ’s Restaurants Q3 earnings call in late October, a rise in weekday traffic was reported. Placer.ai data showed an 11.3% increase in foot traffic at Dave & Buster’s on Thursdays in Q3 compared to the previous year. Promotions like BJ’s Pizookie Meal Deal and Dave & Buster’s Wednesday discounts are being used to boost midweek visits. OpenTable data revealed an 11% increase in Wednesday dining year-over-year, with 43% of Americans planning to dine out then. Toast's Restaurant Trends Report indicated an uptick in Monday to Wednesday reservations, with Monday (+11%), Tuesday (+11%), and Wednesday (+8%) in Q3 2024 compared to Q3 2023. However, Saturday remains the busiest day at 27%. Placer.ai also found a shift towards non-traditional dining days since 2019, with Monday visits growing from 10.2% to 10.7% in 2024, Friday visits declining from 17.6% to 17.1%, and Wednesday visits increasing from 11.1% to 11.4%. Furthermore, OpenTable data showed a 10% increase in solo

🍝 Char siu, Cantonese barbecued pork, is gaining popularity in US restaurants due to increased interest in Asian flavors. Chefs are incorporating char siu in various dishes, elevating it with premium meats and modern styles. It appeals to those seeking globally inspired comfort foods, with 14% of American consumers having tried it. Its presence on menus has expanded by 29% in the last four years, with a projected growth of 30% in the next four. Notably featured in restaurants in Las Vegas and Honolulu.

📈 The Consumer Price Index rose 0.3% in November, now 2.7% higher than November 2023. Menu prices increased by 3.6% compared to last year, with limited-service meals up 3.7% and full-service meals at 3.6%. Grocery/supermarket inflation grew 1.6% year-over-year, marking the 20th consecutive month it lagged behind restaurant price increases. Egg prices surged over 40% month-over-month due to avian flu. Overall food prices jumped 9.9% since 2022, the fastest annual increase since 1979.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor at Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999, also joined Restaurant Hospitality in 2016. He wrote The New York Sun's Kitchen Dish column from 2005-2008 and was based in Thailand writing for Manager magazine and Asia Times from 1992-1997. Thorn graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University in 1990 and studied at Le Cordon Bleu in 1986. Won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award, inducted into Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014, and authored entries in the Oxford Encyclopedia (2012) and Oxford Companion (2015). He's based in Brooklyn, NY.