Latest News on Virtual Restaurant Consulting and Industry Trends

The key factors in perfecting lighting for your restaurant can be summed up with the acronym “Faces”:• Food• Ambiance• Comfort• Effect• SafetyFood: Having the right kind of quality lighting for your restaurant is undeniably vital to offering your customers the best dining experience, and that starts with the appearance of your food. Improper lighting does not show off your signature dishes in the best possible manner and can even make your most colorful creation appear dull and boring. The right kind of lighting will make your menu pop and enhance the visual appeal of your food.Ambiance: When designing your restaurant ... Read More

As of late, fresh craft cocktails and craft brews are dominating the beverage category. Signature cocktails are a major draw for any restaurant or bar, sometimes becoming an icon of the overall brand. It’s something you may imagine for your own restaurant or bar, though when it comes time to mix up your cocktails, the recipes don’t seem to flow. Maybe you’ve had trepidation about creating cocktails because you fear copying a similar style already out there.When you create a cocktail that reflects your brand, you’ll be able to market it as something uniquely your own. To help with this ... Read More

Music is not just for dancing. Science shows us that people listen to music to "regulate arousal and mood, to achieve self-awareness, and as an expression of social relatedness,” which is fancy talk for “people like music”. A large part of the ambiance of your bar or restaurant is created by the music you choose. One study done in a mid-sized Dallas restaurant showed patrons who ate while slow-tempo music was playing, stayed an average of 11 minutes longer than those who ate while fast-tempo music was playing. Moreover, the slower music encouraged patrons to purchase an average of three ... Read More

With Decades of Industry Insight, Gilkey Restaurant Consulting Helped HIDE Become the Best New Bar in Dallas The Dallas Observer, a prominent national newspaper, recently named a Gilkey Restaurant Consulting Group client to its Best of Dallas 2017 List. The publication recognized HIDE – Deep Ellum Bar as the Best New Bar in Dallas, Texas for 2017. HIDE first opened its doors in January 2017. The industrial-themed bar, located in the city’s Deep Ellum district, quickly became a popular destination for Metroplex residents. The establishment’s easy-going atmosphere is vibrant, relaxed, and mellow. Local musicians play tunes, while guests enjoy a ... Read More

Repeat customers and the friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors they refer are the lifeblood of your restaurant. But in order to become repeat customers, they must become customers in the first place, which means you must devise a way (or several ways) to get those future “referral machines” in the front door, eating your delicious food and enjoying your fabulous beverages so that they keep coming back for more. So how do you both drive customers through your doors for the first time and encourage them to become regulars?According to CNBC, the number one reason restaurants fail comes back to ... Read More

Bad news: Your restaurant may not be as pretty as you think it is. Or, at least, it may not be as attractive to Instagram as you’d like. And that alone can be greatly hampering your visibility.It wasn’t that long ago that restaurants were attempting to ban cell phones from their establishments. Now, a brand can barely exist without them. While someone standing on their chair to get that perfect picture of their entrée may be the only thing that rivals a crying baby in annoyance at a restaurant, there’s no doubt the impact social media has made on the ... Read More

Ten years ago, celebrity Top Chef Master Fergus Henderson brought “The Whole Beast: Nose-to-Tail Eating" to the attention of foodies everywhere, and sparked a great debate in the food industry. Why not use the whole animal like we did a century ago, while reducing food costs and improve the environment? From there, the nose to tail trend was born, and has gained popularity across the country.Make Room For the New (From an Old Tradition)Nose to tail cooking, which refers to a chef using the whole animal, is a relatively new trend to hit restaurants all over the country—but it’s an ... Read More

How is your favorite chef in the city using up his/her counter space in the kitchen? It just might be with a dehydrator. It may not be as sexy as the Sous Vide machine but the dehydrator is as practical and durable as any chef will need.Why is the Dehydrator Trending Right Now?The dehydrator is gaining popularity by chefs all around the country—and for several reasons. It allows chefs to reduce their daily food waste, and it gives them a whole new platform to be creative and innovative (in a way they haven’t been before). Chef Taymor at Alma uses ... Read More

Does it feel like celebrity chefs aren’t just taking over cable TV, but your favorite chain hotels and cruise ship lines? The truth is, there’s never been a better (and more delicious) time to be obsessed with food. Celebrity chefs aren’t just on your TV—but now, they’re showing up at the ball game. Head to your local stadium, and you’ll be able to enjoy gourmet game day food because celebrity chefs are taking over the professional sports space.From New York to Seattle, Rejoice in Some Really Good FoodIf you’re a Yankees fan, then you have something to look forward to ... Read More