Sara Parenti

The catering and food-at-work movement represents a major opportunity for restaurants looking to diversify revenue streams and reach new customers. Erle Dardick, host of "The Catering Cage" podcast, sees catering as a critical business-to-business channel that many restaurants are still struggling to fully capitalize on. While most restaurants now offer some form of catering, truly scaling and optimizing this channel requires significant investment in technology, training, and dedicated sales teams. https://lnkd.in/g6iZ5Jki

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Straight out of the 90s and back in our glasses, the Espresso Martini has taken over cocktail menus across the country. What's the next "it drink" that will be keep us up at night? Join us for the af&co. + Carbonate 2025 Hospitality Trends Report to find out! 🍸 Register here: https://lnkd.in/gw9867t3 #afcotrends #carbonatetrends #foodtrends #drinktrends #hoteltrends

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The spirits industry has shifted in recent years, and consumers are interacting differently with bars and restaurants, embracing at-home bartending, prioritizing health, and adjusting spending habits. Park Street Insider host Emmett Strack sat down with three prominent figures in the New York City on-premise scene at Bar Convent Brooklyn. Together, they discussed strategies for fostering meaningful relationships between brands and bars in this evolving landscape. Featured Guests: ➝ GN Chan, Co-Founder, Double Chicken Please ➝ Sebastien Derbomez, Manager of Brand Advocacy, William Grant & Sons ➝ Jason Hedges, Director of Beverage, Laurent Tourondel & Founder, BAR IQ Key Topics: ➝ The changing dynamics of on-premise spirits consumption ➝ Innovative approaches to brand-bar relationships ➝ Strategies for consumer education and product sampling This episode offers insights into the future of on-premise engagement. 🎧 Listen now: https://lnkd.in/eRYegZuF #ParkStreetInsider #SpiritsIndustry #BrandStrategy #BarScene #OnPremiseMarketing #IndustryInsights

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You may order sauce on the side but it's still the main attraction. 🎡 Don't take it from me! Peep this Nation's Restaurant News article highlighting the QSR sauce BOOM 💥 → According to Innova Market Insights, 39% of consumers are most likely to try new flavors through sauces, seasonings + toppings. → Technomic, Inc. reports that 34% of consumers consider what sauces are available before deciding on a place to eat. → And Datassential shows that more than half of consumers have purchased a new sauce or condiment from a restaurant in the past 3 months. In a foodservice climate starving for new traffic, sauce-centric LTOs featuring new + exciting flavors on familiar menu items (e.g. 🍗 + 🍟 + 🍔 + 🌮) can be your most operationally friendly + craveworthy solution. Something I know for sure: There is one midwesterner who will *always* drive through for a new ranch flavor extension. 🙋‍♀️ -- What's your go-to, gotta-have-it, will-go-out-of-your-way-for-it sauce? 👀👇

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10 Comments

When you select a wine, do you care about the winery's power? It's an interesting brand positioning strategy by Viña Santa Carolina - Carolina Wine Brands. On a bottle of inexpensive wine, there's a gold stick that says: "World's Most Powerful Wine Brands 2022." Personally, that doesn't make an impact. I don't care about power, I care about taste and quality. It's why I'm swayed by stickers on bottle featuring the scores of reviewers. If it's above a 90, it has to be good wine, right? A key part of positioning is making it relevant to prospects and customers. Does it matter to them? Will it have an impact personally or professionally? A powerful wine brand matters to some target audience but I'm not sure it works on a wine bottle. #wine #brandpositioning #marketing #branding

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22 Comments

Loyalty programs are so important. Think about Starbucks program or this new CAVA program. I’ve had loyalty programs before where I bank rewards and then they disappear or can’t use them. Who could an emerging brand use to help create the best loyalty programs?

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Shake Shack (SHAK), a growing restaurant chain, ended 2023 strongly with successful sales strategies and margin expansion. CEO Randy Garutti highlighted the opening of 41 new U.S. restaurants and 44 international locations, with same-store sales rising 2.8% year-over-year despite inflation. Potential for further expansion in 2024 if Federal Reserve maintains or lowers interest rates. With 518 locations (334 in the U.S.) by end of 2023, significant growth potential remains. Bullish on SHAK above $87.00-$88.00, targeting $145.00-$150.00. Investors should monitor sales growth and expansion efforts. #SHAK #Investing #StockMarket 

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