"Farm to table." It is one of the most overused phrases in the hospitality industry. It has been plastered on so many menus that for many customers, it has become background noise—a buzzword that has lost its bite.

Your restaurant's ambience is the invisible ingredient in every dish you serve. It is the difference between a "quick bite" and a "dining experience." It dictates how long a guest stays, how much they are willing to spend, and whether they recommend you to a friend.

As a restaurant owner, your greatest, most unavoidable expenses are fixed. Your rent, your core staff, and your utilities cost you the same amount whether you serve 20 guests or 200. This is what makes a quiet Tuesday night or a slow lunch service so painful; your assets are sitting idle.

As a restaurant owner, you are obsessed with your food costs, your kitchen payroll, and the price of your core ingredients. But if you treat your drinks menu as an afterthought—a simple list of sodas, house wines, and standard beers—you are walking past a goldmine every single day.

For any restaurant, the calendar is a rollercoaster. You have the exhilarating highs of the festive season and sun-drenched summer weekends, followed by the stomach-lurching drops of a wet Tuesday in January or the back-to-school slump in September.

That sinking feeling is universal. You open TripAdvisor, scan for the latest feedback, and there it is: a one-star review. Your first instinct might be to get defensive or ignore it, but a negative review isn't a disaster; it's an opportunity. Handled correctly, a public complaint can be transformed into a powerful demonstration of your professionalism and commitment to customer care.

Picture your restaurant on a Tuesday night. The lights are on, the kitchen is staffed, and the overheads are ticking away... but too many tables are empty. It's a familiar pain point for restaurateurs everywhere. Your bustling weekend service proves you have a great product, but how do you capture that magic on a quiet weeknight?

Your members don't just come to your studio or gym for a workout; they come for the community, the motivation, and the unique vibe that you've created. They trust you. And that trust is one of your most valuable - and often untapped - business assets.

For decades, the humble restaurant receipt has served one purpose: proof of purchase. It’s a transactional slip of paper that usually ends up crumpled in a pocket or lost in a car glovebox. But what if that same receipt could become the key to understanding your customers and building a powerful, modern loyalty programme?

"How was everything?" It’s the question servers have asked since the dawn of restaurants. And 99% of the time, the answer is a polite, but utterly useless, "Fine, thanks."

You live and die by the number of covers you do each night in your restaurant. It’s a relentless cycle of attracting new diners while keeping your regulars coming back for more. In the heat of the battle, the easiest weapon to reach for is the discount. "20% Off Tuesdays!" "Free Appetiser with Any Main!" It’s a quick fix, a shot in the arm to boost a quiet evening.

The word "upselling" can leave a bad taste. It often brings to mind a robotic, scripted attempt to hawk extras you neither want nor need. In the world of hospitality, where the guest experience is everything, that's the last impression you want to leave.

In the past, a restaurant's reputation was built on word-of-mouth and the occasional critic's review. Today, that conversation has moved online, and it’s intensely visual. Every customer with a smartphone is now a potential food photographer, a critic, and a powerful marketer for your brand.

Your menu is the most critical marketing tool you own. It’s more potent than any social media ad or flyer. It’s your number one salesperson, interacting with every single customer who walks through your door. Yet for many restaurants, it’s treated as a simple list of dishes and prices, an operational afterthought.

So, you’ve created your loyalty program on meed. Everything is set up, and you’re ready for a flood of happy, loyal customers. Fantastic! Now for the most important part: getting people to join.

In the restaurant business, there's a golden moment. It happens after the last bite of dessert has been enjoyed and the final sip of coffee has been taken. Your diners are happy, satisfied, and basking in the warm glow of a great meal and good company. As you present the bill, some restaurateurs see this as the end of the transaction. But the smartest operators see it as the beginning of the next one.

There are few sights more disheartening for a restaurateur than an empty table at 8 PM on a Friday night. It’s not just empty; it’s a ghost. A table you held in good faith for a booking that never arrived, turning away hopeful walk-ins in the process. This isn't just a minor inconvenience; it's a significant financial drain on your business.

Getting new customers through the door is a constant battle for restaurants. You can spend a fortune on online ads or hope that people stumble upon your glowing reviews. But one of the most powerful and authentic marketing strategies is often overlooked: partnering with the local businesses right on your doorstep.

There are a few places where you'll see QR codes in meed, and we know that sometimes it can get a little confusing. But it’s all pretty simple once you know what they mean. Here is a handy guide so you know which QR code to use where. 

What’s the difference between a restaurant you eat at and a restaurant that’s your local?