A kitchen can be like a swirling black hole that unfortunately happens to be located on the other side of a swinging double door in the back of your establishment. People, food, and orders get sucked in and disappear in the form of bloated payroll and food cost and subpar meals. Finding effective kitchen managers — individuals with the skills, experience, and demeanor to turn this void into a center of efficiency and driver of guest satisfaction — is critical to your financial success and can provide a significant competitive advantage over your competition.

The coronavirus pandemic has had devastating effects on the restaurant business. Experts estimate that more than 20,000 restaurants have closed their doors permanently and many more are likely to follow. Some restaurants, however, have been quite resourceful in figuring out ways to survive, if not exactly thrive. In many locales, outdoor dining has been a key to survival in conditions where demand and capacity have been reduced. Takeaway and delivery programs have also played a part in the new normal for restaurants.

As restaurants struggle to stay in business and dining rooms across the country close due to COVID-19, food delivery apps—like Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash, or Just Eat—have picked up steam.

In a post-COVID environment where many restaurants have had to reimagine how they operate, the procedures and requirements for mobile units have not changed. As it turns out, food trucks have been a blessing to many in the past several months. As people were in lockdown and only essential workers could move about, it meant that all in-restaurant dining stopped abruptly. However, not the food truck.

Culinary trends may come and go, but when a new concept captivates diners, it holds the power to shake up an entire industry. Such is the case for some of the most notable trends expected to hit restaurants in 2020. From CBD-infused cuisine to plant-based meats, a variety of exciting opportunities promise to improve several elements of the modern dining experience, while still delivering the exquisite flavors, convenience, and sense of community that diners expect.

From the “Impossible Whopper” at Burger King to meatless chicken at KFC, businesses everywhere are starting to offer a wide variety of plant-based meat alternatives. People all over the world are starting to see the real benefits of eating less animal meat and focusing more on a plant-based diet. As you take a walk through the everyday grocery store, you’ll now find more plant-based options than you've ever seen before. But as plant-based food is becoming more common at grocery stores and fast-food stops, it is also hitting the scene at many restaurants across the country.

You may have already noticed but things have been getting … interesting in the food world. Take a recent example from fall 2019, when social media blew up over chicken sandwiches, a long-standing fast-food staple that, thanks to clever marketing, sparked an online frenzy between competing chains.