Family Casual Dining

Taco John's and Eskimo Joe's are among recipients of honors for best practices in digital marketing and online ordering.

In the near-distant past, bar operators were shaking kegs to see how much beer was left and high-end restaurants were printing and reprinting heavy, multi-page wine lists to provide to their patrons. Now bar operators are employing the latest technologies to create consistency for customers and control inventory for a better bottom line.

Should establishments in the food industry offer free Wi-Fi to their customers, just like napkins and condiments, or should there be a charge? This was the focus of a recent topic table discussion at MURTEC. Restaurant executives weigh in.

Responding to both consumer demand and competitive market research, Boston Market recently rolled out a guest-facing WiFi network across its 450+ locations. Based on that rollout, the networking team at Boston Market offers these practical tips for other restaurants.

With loyalty program members driving 70 percent of transactions, Duffy's enhances its ability to deliver relevant messages to 425,000 active program members.

Check out this video for MURTEC's upcoming interactive workshop for full-service restaurants. Led by executives from Bloomin' Brands and Tumbleweed Tex Mex Grill, this session will offer a fun, "Three-by-Three" discussion, covering three hot topics in three discussion rounds.

New BEOND tablets include ability to play trivia against players at other Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants, send specific requests to server at the touch of a button.

Technology is helping Canada's number one casual dining chain shift its loyalty program from offering points to creating experiences. Boston Pizza recently completed an extensive assessment that revealed marketing dollars could be better allocated. A sophisticated technology infrastructure will be central to the company's new strategy. Alex Green, vice president of marketing, shares Boston Pizza's new plans for loyalty, the research findings that sparked the company's transformation, and what it's like for a marketing executive to jump head-first into technology strategy.