The DWF blog
Practical thinking for the people who serve, sell, make and move food — plus the dishes, products and details worth crossing town for.
Latest field notes
Restaurant menu engineering worksheet explained: what the matrix actually does A restaurant manager watches the dinner rush roll through on a Friday night. The…
Food around me: how to find it, filter it, and decide faster You are standing on a sidewalk at 7:42 p.m., hungry, and you…
Mexican food delivery starts with a menu that travels A burrito that tastes excellent at the pass rarely tastes the same by the time…
How to calculate menu item contribution margin A catering director once told me that her most popular pasta lost money on every plate, while…
True food kitchen: what the term actually points to A cook in Portland slices golden beets over a sheet tray while a server writes…
You walk up to a restaurant you have never tried, glance at the menu taped to the window, and make a decision in about…
Slow weekday restaurant promotion ideas without discounts Tuesday at 7:15 p.m. The dining room holds forty covers. Twelve are seated. The chef has prepped…
Food open now: a practical way to find a real meal at the last minute It is 10:47 p.m. on a Tuesday. The kitchen…
When a team lead types “chipotle catering” into a search bar, the question is rarely academic. Someone is feeding a group this week, and…
Most restaurants already have the data they need to recognize regulars. The receipts, the card swipes, the name on a reservation, the bartender who…