March 02, 2022
Written by Ignacio Goris
Despite all the advances in off-premises options like delivery , full-service restaurants remain a great place for people to have a good time and enjoy great food together and for that reason this dining option continues to hold a special place in society.
February 15, 2022
Written by Juan Martinez
In a recent call to kick off a prototype design initiative, I was surprised the operator had all of its executives participate. Several times over the course of the meeting, the executives referred to themselves as “the village.”
February 02, 2022
Written by Juan Pablo Lopez
Speed of service represents a metric all foodservice concepts want to improve.
November 29, 2021
Written by Juan Martinez
Prior to the pandemic, with few exceptions, there was plenty of labor to go around. As a result, restaurants could deploy the right labor, in the right place, at the right time, doing the right things.
September 21, 2021
Written by Ignacio Goris
Over the years, drive-thru as a sales channel has been the cornerstone of many successful quick-service restaurants. During the pandemic, though, the importance of drive-thru sales became even more important when this form of service became one of the only ways customers could get food from restaurants. While all of this may seem alluring to some, never lose sight of the simple fact that a poorly designed and poorly run drive-thru will impact a restaurant’s ability to generate revenue.
June 02, 2021
Written by Ignacio Goris
Restaurant staffing has remained an issue since the start of the pandemic. A combination of increasing wages, unemployment checks and people trying to stay safe create a perfect storm for many restaurants, making it difficult to remain fully staffed with fully trained employees. To help foodservice operators alleviate their labor issues, here are 6 design and process-related tactics that can lead to doing more with less.
May 19, 2021
Written by Juan Martinez
As hard as it may be to imagine, the dark cloud of the pandemic did produce some silver linings for the foodservice industry. Two that come to mind immediately are the off-premises boom and customers’ willingness to use digital means to remotely interact with restaurants. While those trends were already in motion pre-pandemic, the pandemic accelerated them exponentially, generating faster growth than would have been the case under a more normal business cycle.
May 11, 2021
Written by Carlos Espinosa
Change is inevitable. It’s a cliche we were all familiar with prior to the pandemic and the arrival of COVID-19 has only accelerated change for the foodservice industry. That’s because the industry must always change to meet customers’ ever-evolving demands, including updating menus and service styles.
February 16, 2021
Written by Ignacio Goris
Life was easier for restaurants when guests had fewer choices. Going back several decades, the only decision we had to worry about was to determine whether the food was for here or to go. The first big change happened when drive-thrus came about for quick-service restaurants.
January 11, 2021
Written by Juan Martinez, PhD, PE, FCSI
Given the tumultuous tone of 2020, everyone seems ready to turn the page and start fresh in 2021. If only it were that easy. Here are my 10 foodservice-related predictions for the coming year.
November 06, 2020
Written by Juan Martinez
Pivoting. New normal. Off-premises. Contactless. Virtual. Digital. These key words continue to dominate our restaurant-related conversations, as they have since March. And they aren’t going away any time soon.
October 13, 2020
Written by Carlos Espinosa
COVID-19 may have put an end to what we deem as normal. From the CDC guidelines about safely reopening businesses to municipalities regulations that impact the ability to enjoy a meal at your favorite restaurant, the only true constant today is change.
May 20, 2020
Written by Juan Martinez
Let’s face it: we really do not know how this crisis will play out, and therefore the implications to restaurant design remain just as uncertain. As such, the impact on restaurant design will remain a moving target for the foreseeable future.
February 06, 2020
Written by Carlos Espinosa
The Foodservice industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, as it has been for the last 5 to 10 years. From companies trying robotics and other forms of automation , to well-established chains trying to branch out into new areas (e.g. delivery , adding alcohol, etc.), these forms of rapid restaurant evolution sometimes drive the need to develop ground-breaking solutions to
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January 07, 2020
Written by Juan Martinez
While wrapping the year in my home office, I came across an article that offered a few restaurant design predictions for 2020 . While the piece showed some very interesting visual designs, most meant more for upscale applications and perhaps one-off locations, this article made me begin to wonder about how Industrial Engineering in Foodservice will impact restaurant design in 2020.
December 09, 2019
Written by Carlos Espinosa
Today’s consumers are more time-starved than ever. And they also crave restaurant-quality food when and where they want it – even from the comfort of their living room couch at times! This phenomenon has restaurant operators developing apps, partnering with third-party delivery firms, and more, all to remain not only relevant, but convenient in the eyes of the customer.
October 22, 2019
Written by Juan Martinez
September 18, 2019
Written by Juan Martinez
FCSI member Juan Martinez of Profitality recaps FE&S’ Tour the Trends event, which featured stops in Wrigley Field, Hotel Zachary, Maddon’s Post, Big Star and Mordecai.
August 22, 2019
Written by Juan Martinez
AI is coming! AI is coming!
Or is artificial intelligence already here and has been for a while?
July 09, 2019
Written by Juan Martinez
A new term continues to dominate the restaurant industry: Artificial Intelligence (AI). It was all the buzz during the National Restaurant Association’s show in Chicago and it continues to come up in countless conversations.
July 01, 2019
Written by Juan Martinez
One Industrial Engineering in Foodservice technique that we use to optimize design is process mapping. Another name that you may have heard for this same analytical process is Spaghetti Diagrams . The latter comes from the fact that many processes that are not designed optimally, often look like spaghetti in a bowl, as in the before picture seen here.
June 11, 2019
Written by Juan Martinez
Earlier this year as part of my company’s 10th anniversary, I took some time to reflect on how the foodservice industry and its technology has evolved over the past decade . That served as the perfect backdrop for my visit to the 2019 National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago.
June 04, 2019
Written by Juan Martinez
March 19, 2019
Written by Juan Martinez
It’s no secret, labor represents a major issue facing the restaurant industry. Not only is it a significant issue all foodservice operators must address that is impacting "unit economics," it is getting more complex to deal with every day.
January 29, 2019
Written by Juan Martinez
January 01, 2019
Written by Juan Martinez
November 27, 2018
Written by Juan Martinez
September 26, 2018
Written by Juan Martinez
August 16, 2018
Written by Juan Martinez
An Industrial Engineering in Foodservice Perspective
July 09, 2018
Written by Juan Martinez