Secret Sauce - The Restaurant Marketing Podcast · James Eling |Restaurant Marketing, Strategy and Tactics

Restaurant Trends 2023 for Restaurant Profitability

February 17, 2023·29 min

James keeps the conversation tied to operator reality. He starts by revisiting the trend list from last week, including vegetarian and flexitarian interest, delivery and pickup, and comfort food, then connects those changes to inflation, interest rates, customer demographics, labor, competition, and supply issues. After that, he turns to automation as something restaurants have to deal with, not just talk about. The focus stays on what owners can actually control. From there, James shifts to the people side of the business and makes the case that flexibility can matter when labor is tight. He points to perks, meals, and scheduling as part of the offer. One example he highlights is building shifts around parents who need school pickup, even if it takes extra effort to organize. That kind of setup can open the door to a whole new workforce. It also matters because the restaurant world does not get the luxury of work-from-home arrangements. A chef cannot prep meals from home, and a server cannot take drink orders from the couch. James uses that reality to make a larger point about retention. When people feel supported, they tend to stay. When they stay longer, training costs drop and repeat business becomes more likely. He also steers listeners toward Nick Cerello's book, A Slice of the Pie. He says Nick's Pizza and Pub is a strong example of a people-first operation, and he mentions having interviewed Cerello before. The segment keeps coming back to labor, profit, and what a restaurant can realistically control. It ends with a simple push for owners to keep learning and use restaurant-specific tools to work fewer hours and earn more.

As heard by us

Restaurant trends matter most when they improve staffing, flexibility, and the odds of a repeat customer.

Episode 167 treats restaurant trends as an operating problem, not a novelty reel. The best part is the way automation gets judged on whether it eases labor pressure, helps with staffing, and gives customers a reason to come back.

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Why you'd press play

You get a practical read on 2023 restaurant marketing trends, with automation and people-first staffing under the spotlight.

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