10 Proven Strategies to Improve Restaurant Efficiency and Reduce Waste
Margins are tight. Labor is unpredictable. Food costs fluctuate without warning. In this environment, restaurant efficiency is a business necessity. The restaurants that pull ahead don’t rely on instinct alone. They build disciplined systems around labor, inventory, workflow, and data. That structure protects profitability, reduces waste, and delivers the operational consistency guests expect, whether they’re […]
CommodityOne Weekly Report – March 3, 2026
Poultry Chicken markets were mostly steady last week, with harvest down 3.5% week-over-week but still 3.3% higher year-over-year. Boneless/skinless breasts held at $1.47/lb and tenderloins at $1.52/lb, while wings slipped slightly to $1.20/lb but remain significantly lower than last year. Dark meat strengthened, with boneless/skinless thighs up 7% month-over-month and 10% year-over-year. Egg prices dropped […]
Restaurant Automation: Smart Ways to Cut Costs
Every restaurant owner imagines running the kind of place you see in commercials—the manager greets regulars by name, the team members are always smiling, and the food is always beautifully presented, hot and fresh, at the table. But behind the scenes, the realities of keeping a restaurant running often look very different. Instead of spending […]
CommodityOne Weekly Report – February 24, 2026
Poultry USDA young chicken harvest jumped to 178.4 million head, up 6.4% week over week and 5.6% year over year, helping cool recent price pressure. Boneless skinless breasts rose slightly to $1.47/lb but remain 11% below last year, while wings held at $1.21/lb and thigh meat continues posting year-over-year gains. Turkey remains significantly elevated year […]
Restaurant Technology Stack: Tools You Actually Need
Restaurant technology has never been more powerful—or more confusing. Between POS upgrades, inventory platforms, labor tools, and analytics dashboards, operators are often swimming in software, yet still struggling with visibility, cost control, and decision-making. The answer isn’t more tools. It’s a smarter restaurant technology stack built around the realities of how restaurants actually operate. What Is a Restaurant Technology […]
CommodityOne Weekly Report – February 10, 2026
Poultry Poultry pricing moved higher as USDA young chicken harvest declined to 167.3 million head, down 3.3% week over week due to storm disruptions. Boneless/skinless breasts climbed to $1.38/lb (up 18% m/m), while wings increased to $1.18/lb (up 19% m/m). Boneless thigh meat also strengthened, up 16% month over month. Egg pricing surged nearly 46% […]
How AI Helps Restaurants Reduce Food Waste and Save Money
If your bottom line isn’t where you’d like it to be, there’s a good chance that food waste is at least partially to blame. Whether it’s spoiled food that never reaches a guest or inflated labor costs from preparing food that goes unused, this waste quietly erodes your margins from multiple directions. These small inefficiencies […]
The Real Challenges of AI in the Food Industry and How to Solve Them
Over the past few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has fundamentally reshaped how food businesses forecast demand, manage labor, control inventory, and protect margins. From predictive scheduling to automated purchasing, the use of AI in the food industry promises faster decisions and leaner operations. Yet for many business owners, the challenges of AI in the food […]
13 Best Features of Restaurant Management Software
Not long ago, restaurant operators relied mostly on intuition to navigate challenges like rising costs, unpredictable labor markets, and late-night reconciliations. Those instincts still matter, but data and automation are also now critical to success. Today’s most successful restaurants use smart systems to connect the dots between the kitchen, front of house, and back office. […]
Restaurant Bookkeeping: Best Practices for Owners
Bookkeeping may not be the flashiest part of running a restaurant, but it is one of the most important. Every service brings in dozens — perhaps hundreds — of transactions that need to be tracked, reconciled, and reported. For owners and managers already stretched thin by labor challenges, compliance, and rising food costs, bookkeeping often […]