Barry Shuster

Executive Editor
RestaurantOwner Insights

Article

Nip and Tuck: Trimming Food Costs in Your Independent Concept

Controlling food cost is critical to success in the restaurant business in any economy, inflationary or not. And you need to do so without compromising quality. Recipe standardization, analyzing gaps between actual and theoretical cost of goods sold, menu engineering, portioning, and reducing waste ...

Success Story

The Garden Catering Story: From a Single Counter-service Luncheonette to an Iconic 10-unit Concept

Garden Catering began in 1978 as a restaurant in a converted Metro-North train car in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Frank Carpenteri breathed new life into the business after acquiring it in 1989. With the help of his son Frank, Jr. and daughter Tina, today it is a beloved 10-location fast-casual chai...

Article

Art and Science: Transforming Menu Data into Sustainable Profits and Sales

While you might not think of yourself as an engineer, the art of running a successful restaurant is applying information to improve systems and processes – in other words, “engineering.” Menu engineering analyzes data to make decisions on how to influence guest choices, satisfaction, ...

Article

On-Trend: Making Sense of Dining and Food Trends in Your Concept

The 2026 National Restaurant Association’s “What’s Hot Culinary Forecast” edition notes that the “quest for comfort, nostalgia, and ‘flavor escapism’ intersects with an ever-present search for healthy options and value, as restaurant operators seek out the dishes that satisfy consumer ...

Article

Your Menu, Your Brand: How Your Menu Can Influence Customer Loyalty and Market Differentiation

Your menu is way more than a price list. Properly designed, your menu can be one of your most powerful marketing and sales tools.

Article

Extreme Makeover: Restaurant Re-concepting Process and Pitfalls

Transforming your existing operation into a completely new concept can reinvigorate your business, but should not be undertaken lightly. Re-concepting is disruptive, time-consuming, and carries some risk. You’ll need to be particularly driven by your passion for the restaurant industry ...

Article

Maximize Your LMS Experience: RO Quick-fire Q&A Sessions + Latest Updates

We’re thrilled to introduce our new RestaurantOwner (RO) Quick-fire Q&A series—a fast-paced, 30-minute session designed to keep you informed and connected.

Online Course

Train the Trainer

In this course, you will learn essential skills and tools to execute training that benefits you, your trainees and the overall team: even your guests! ...

Download

Menu Engineering Worksheet

A menu engineering tool to analyze item profitability using cost, pricing, margin, and popularity.

Training Video

How to Market Your Restaurant from the Inside Out

In the bustling world of restaurants, standing out is more important than ever. Traditional marketing often focuses on attracting new customers, but what ...

Article

Sticker Shock Therapy How to Manage Guest Perception That They Are Being Priced Out of Dining Out

The rising costs of food and labor necessitate increased menu prices to stay in business. In this article, we explore how to determine if your slowing ...