6 Strategies for Restaurants to Thrive During Inflationary Periods

As a restaurant owner, you may be feeling the pressure of inflationary periods.

1. Monitor Your Food Costs: One of the biggest expenses for restaurants is food. During inflationary periods, the cost of ingredients can skyrocket, which can seriously impact your bottom line. It’s important to regularly review your food costs and make adjustments as needed. This might mean finding new suppliers or sourcing ingredients locally to cut down on transportation costs. You can also consider adjusting your menu prices to reflect the increased costs of your ingredients.
2. Focus on Efficiency: Another way to improve your business during inflationary periods is to focus on efficiency. Look for ways to streamline your operations and reduce waste. This might mean investing in new equipment or technology that can help you cook faster and more efficiently. It could also mean rethinking your menu to focus on dishes that are easier to prepare and require less prep time.
3. Offer Special Deals: During inflationary periods, consumers are often more price-sensitive. Offering special deals or promotions can help attract customers and boost sales. For example, you might offer a “happy hour” promotion with discounted drinks or appetizers during off-peak hours. You could also create a “family meal” deal that offers a discounted price on a larger meal for families or groups.
4. Prioritize Customer Service: Inflationary periods can be stressful for everyone, including your customers. It’s important to prioritize customer service and ensure that your guests feel valued and appreciated. This might mean training your staff to be more attentive and responsive to customer needs or investing in technology that can help you provide faster and more personalized service.
5. Consider Alternative Revenue Streams: Finally, during inflationary periods, it’s important to think creatively about alternative revenue streams. This might mean offering catering services or partnering with local businesses to offer packaged meals or meal kits. You could also consider expanding your delivery or takeout options to reach more customers who may be hesitant to dine in.
6. Buy Canadian-Made Products: Supporting local Canadian suppliers can help restaurants navigate inflationary pressures more effectively. Purchasing Canadian-made products reduces reliance on international supply chains, which are often affected by rising costs and delays. Locally sourced ingredients not only ensure fresher, higher-quality food but also contribute to the local economy. Additionally, marketing your restaurant as one that prioritizes Canadian products can attract customers who are passionate about supporting homegrown businesses.

In conclusion, while inflationary periods can be challenging for restaurant owners, there are several strategies you can implement to improve your business. By monitoring your food costs, focusing on efficiency, offering special deals, prioritizing customer service, and considering alternative revenue streams, you can position your restaurant for success during these challenging times. Remember, with a little creativity and hard work, you can weather any economic storm and continue to deliver high-quality food and service to your loyal customers.

Ways to Make the Dining Experience Extra Special

Going to a restaurant with family and friends is a favourite experience for many people, but with the economy as it is, there are far fewer people eating out impulsively or planning get-togethers as often.

In order to encourage customers to eat at your restaurant, consider the following:

1. Train your greeters to welcome customers sincerely and enthusiastically. Even if they’re extremely busy, looking up, smiling, and mentioning that they’ll be right with the customer will go a long way. Customers don’t want to feel as if they’re being ignored.
2. Attentive, personable wait staff can make all the difference. Even if they must cover several tables, a smile, a kind word, and accurately filling the customer’s order will increase the likelihood that the customer will return and recommend your restaurant to others.
3. Asking whether customers are celebrating a special occasion—and being sensitive to the guest(s) of honour’s preferences—is a nice touch. Offering the choice between two free desserts for the individual(s) will set your establishment apart
4. Food presentation is important to several of your customers—whether your restaurant serves economical offerings or more lavish ones.
5. Creating at least one signature dish with a twist that your restaurant does extremely well make an impression on your customers, and the word will spread.
6. If you serve a complementary appetizer, consider alternatives to a breadbasket.
7. If you do serve a complementary bread product, consider adding a gluten friendly option to the menu. There is an increasing number of people who are cutting back on their gluten intake.
8. Whether your restaurant is casual or more formal, cleanliness is important to your customers. And don’t forget to tend to your washrooms regularly.
9. Do you still put salt and pepper on your tables? Replacing traditional dispensers with grinders that hold sea salt and others that hold peppercorns is just one special touch customers will notice.

These are only a few of the many things you can do to make your customers’ dining experience extra special.

Ask yourself what makes a dining experience stand out to you, and then, seek to provide that experience for your customers.

Do locals tell their friends and family members, “You definitely have to eat here”?

The chains and franchises may have big marketing budgets and instantly recognizable brands, but many people prefer—and are fiercely loyal to—the unique, small restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in their communities. 

Here are ten big ideas that don’t require a big budget:

Follow your personality

Does your establishment have a homey Mom and Pop vibe, or is it funky and casual? Is it green and clean or elegant and sophisticated? Up your recognition factor by making that personality a consistent part of your brand through your storefront, signage, décor, food styling, digital presence, and even the music you play.

Carve out your niche

Focus on your signature dishes. When people feel your restaurant is the place to get these menu items, it’s a powerful way to establish your presence.

Celebrate local specialties

Go beyond the usual Canadian dishes available across the country to celebrate your local or regional specialties, including craft beer and wine.

Source locally

Locally sourced ingredients are becoming important to an increasing number of customers.

• Be a local booster – Promote your local producers and suppliers. If you’re flipping pancakes in Trois-Rivières, be loud and proud about serving them with local maple syrup. Making burgers in Red Deer? Celebrate local Alberta beef. Consider flags on the menu or a chalkboard featuring suppliers.

Rock your digital presence

Regardless of its size, your independent diner or sports bar can have an attention-grabbing Instagram account and popular videos on TikTok. A multi-functional website enhances the guest experience from ordering takeout to making reservations.

Support your community

While sponsoring sports teams and donating financially to important causes may not be in your budget, there are alternatives (i.e.: hosting an event at your establishment). Focusing on the cause rather than your contribution will prevent you from appearing boastful.

Know your customers well

Being small gives you a unique advantage to build relationships with your regulars.

Get out into the community

Feature your specialties at local fairs and events. You’ll not only contribute to the success of the events but also entice new customers to visit your restaurant.

Create standout promotions

Unique promotions, especially ones with a local angle, draw people in. Go beyond the standard holiday promotions by selecting a few signature days each year and creating special offers. You may also want to consider partnering with local suppliers for cross-promotions.

Be consistent

It’s not a bad thing to keep things fresh and occasionally add new dishes to your menu, but don’t change for the sake of change. Customers appreciate the sense of coming home to their favourite dishes that is provided by staff they’ve come to know. 

Based on the post “Small restaurant, BIG presence—does size matter?” written by Marlene Cornelis.

Beef Insights

What’s Happening?

Beef remains the most difficult protein cost challenge for restaurant operators heading into June. The market is still operating at historically high levels, even though some signs of fatigue are starting to appear under the surface.
Prices have been holding near record territory, but market breadth has weakened. In simple terms, headline beef pricing still looks strong, but fewer cuts are carrying the market. That can sometimes signal that a rollover is approaching, especially when packer margins are under pressure and futures are trading well below cash cattle. Check our chart for individual cut pricing trends.

What Can You Do?

Shift features toward roast beef sandwiches, steak bowls, beef dips, tacos, poutines, and loaded fries.
Watch burger margins carefully; standardize patty weights and review bun, cheese, sauce, and side costs.
Use premium beef only where the menu price clearly supports the food cost.

Pork Insights

What’s Happening?

Pork continues to be one of the strongest value opportunities for independent restaurant operators. The market is not without risk, but compared with beef and chicken, pork still gives operators room to build profitable summer features.
The key is to position pork as a featured protein, not simply as a cheaper substitute. Smoked, glazed, crispy, Korean, Mexican, BBQ, maple, mustard, and spicy-sweet preparations all help create strong menu appeal. Check our chart for individual cut pricing trends.

What Can You Do?

Lean into pork for summer value features.
Use pork butts, loins, tenderloins, ribs, and ground pork where pricing supports the margin.
Build batch-friendly menu items that reduce labour and improve consistency.

Poultry Insights

What’s Happening?

Chicken remains a high-demand category, but it is still expensive. Canadian chicken demand was very strong through the first quarter, supported in part by very high beef prices. Chicken is still more affordable than beef for many menu applications, but it is not a low-cost protein.
The market remains divided by cut. Breasts are expected to trend seasonally higher, although not necessarily to last year’s peaks. Legs and dark meat remain very firm, and wings are expected to strengthen as summer demand builds. Supply has improved compared with last year in some areas, but the industry has still struggled to produce fully up to allocation, which keeps buyers cautious. Check our chart for individual cut pricing trends.

What Can You Do?

Use chicken in portion-controlled formats such as wraps, bowls, sandwiches, salads, and flatbreads.
Use thighs, drums, legs, and boneless dark meat where possible.
Build chicken into combos and value bundles to protect traffic.

Seafood Insights

What’s Happening?

Seafood remains a strong summer menu opportunity, but operators need to be selective. Premium seafood is still vulnerable to inflation, currency, freight, and supply volatility. Cod, pollock, and other global whitefish species have all seen cost pressure in 2026, while shrimp markets vary by size, form, and origin.
For independent restaurants, the safest seafood strategy is still portion control and format control. Frozen-at-sea, battered, breaded, and pre-portioned seafood items help reduce waste, simplify prep, and protect consistency. Whitefish remains the most operator-friendly seafood category for high-volume execution, especially in fish and chips, sandwiches, tacos, chowders, and baskets.

What Can You Do?

Lead with whitefish in fish and chips, sandwiches, tacos, baskets, and chowders.
Use frozen, breaded, battered, or portion-controlled seafood to reduce waste and labour.
Promote Canadian or responsibly sourced options where available.

Produce Insights

What’s Happening?

Produce is moving through the spring-to-summer transition, and operators should expect uneven pricing through June. Some categories are improving, but several high-use items remain under pressure.
Avocados are a major concern. Mexican supplies are tightening, California and Peruvian supplies are helping fill gaps, and markets are expected to remain elevated through June. Lemons are also tight, with high prices expected until offshore and Mexican fruit provide more relief in early July. Oranges remain tight on smaller sizes, and limes are mixed by size.

What Can You Do?

Use frozen fruit for sauces, smoothies, desserts, and compotes when fresh berries spike.
Review salad pricing and portioning; lettuce and premium toppings can quickly erode margins.
Consider pre-cut produce where labour savings and waste control offset the higher case cost.

These questions don’t just apply to clothing, personal care products, and the latest bestsellers. They also apply to the foodservices industry. Being aware of applicable trends going into the new year will help restaurant owners make their customers’ experience so special that they will want to return often.

Below are what Technomic foresees as foodservice trends for 2023:

Financial Concerns

Because of current economic concerns, 58% of consumers are more cautious about eating out and 44% will no longer make impulse visits to a restaurant. Restaurant owners will want to keep this in mind when making decisions for the year ahead.

Source: Technomic 2023 Foodservice Trends Whitepaper

Social Highlight

While the above statistics are of concern, there are statistics from the third quarter of 2022 that are encouraging. 71% of those surveyed indicated they enjoyed the social aspect of eating out and 65% said it was one of their favourite activities to do with friends. Restauranteurs who make their customers’ experience especially enjoyable will increase the likelihood of family and friends continuing to gather at their establishments.

Source: Technomic 2023 Foodservice Trends Whitepaper

Beyond the Social Aspect

Customers also consider the following elements important to an enjoyable restaurant experience: the use of premium ingredients, the use of fresh ingredients, and appealing flavours. Gen Zers and Millennials in particular pointed out the importance of the following: knowledgeable staff that pays attention to the fundamentals and good value with quick, high-quality service.

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The Use of Preserved Foods

Research indicates there will be more preserved food on restaurant menus. Preservation methods will include pickling, fermenting, dehydrating, and freeze-drying. Stocking these foods when available will lessen supply chain issues, as they can be kept far longer than fresh ingredients. Restauranteurs will want to keep an eye on these trends in the coming months: fermented beverages other than kombucha (i.e.: the fermented sugarcane spirit cachaca and the Japanese fermented rice drink amazake) and global pickled or fermented condiments (i.e.: the Indonesian fermented kasundi sauce and the Indian pickled amba condiment).

Return to Physical Menus

While we rely on technology in virtually every aspect of life, a vast percentage of customers (82%) prefer a physical menu. More than half of restaurant-goers find the QR code menus lessen their dining experience. This is something restaurant owners will want to take into account when finalizing their 2023 budget.

7 restaurant menu tips for boosting profit

Menu engineering: beyond the math to digital restaurant menus

Rewarding Loyalty

Loyalty programs keep customers coming back. 41% of Gen Xers actually prefer to visit restaurant that offer such a program. This is a good time for restaurant owners to brainstorm what type of program they could implement if they don’t already have one in place.

Loyalty programs – Building guest retention one incentive at a time

Food Items from Down South—Way Down South

Canadian operators are looking for inspiration beyond the U.S. and Mexico. In particular, they are looking to food options from Central America and the South American Andean states. These are just three of the dishes with a southern flavour: quesadillas made with refried beans, cashew cheese, coconut crema, charred corn salsa, curtido, and sprouts, all served on flatbread; jerk cauliflower made from apple puree, wasakaka, and toasted coconut; and Honduran baleadas, flour tortillas with grilled flank steak or spiced sweet potato, scrambled eggs, refried beans, cotija cheese, avocado, and lime crema.

Skirt Steak Tacos

Mojo Pork Tacos with Pineapple and Pickled Jalapeno Salsa

Health-Consciousness

Restaurant owners will want to keep the following preference in mind: the desire for fresh offerings made from scratch, using locally sourced, preservative-free ingredients. Customers want their food to be “clean, natural, and real.” Many also want it to be low-calorie, low-fat, and low-salt.

So Much to Think About

Restaurant owners face many challenges for the year ahead. In summary, the experts at Technomics recommend going back to the basics, balancing the old with the new, and adding new and quirky styles and cuisines.