Restaurant Culture - Blue Orbit Restaurant Consulting

What’s Trending in Food & Beverage: Appetizers, Tapas & Small Plates

Kitchen Ops, Menu, Service / By Ray Camillo

Small plates are the chef’s creative playground. Most restaurants diners expect to see steaks, roast chicken, and grilled salmon entrées. These basics will quickly fill up the entrées list because customers gravitate towards the familiar, especially when they are spending $20-$30 for an entrée. Restaurants need to sell what their customers want, so it’s less […]

Becoming a Food Entrepreneur & Restaurateur: What You Should Know Before Taking the Leap

Consulting, General, Hospitality Consulting, Leadership / By Ray Camillo

I’m 52 and have spent my entire career (save for a stint in the US Army for training to be a Reservist) in hospitality. My first job was as a dishwasher, and I have spent time in almost every restaurant position. Cook, server, bartender, runner, busser, chef, manager, general manager, area manager, vice president, owner.

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What is a Food Hall, And Why Do People Love Them So Much?

Consulting, Hospitality Consulting, Random Stuff / By Ray Camillo

The first time I heard the term “food hall” I replied “…um…explain…” What I got was something similar to how a parent might describe a mall food court to a seven-year-old: “A collection of small restaurants, usually on the ground floor of a building with shopping, where typically seating is shared and no dining options

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12 Quick Tips for Opening a Restaurant

Consulting, General, Hospitality Consulting, Kitchen Ops, Leadership, Menu, Random Stuff, Service / By Ray Camillo

We’ve asked our top restaurant consultants what they recommend when opening a new restaurant. They provided such great feedback that we compiled it all into this all-in-one resource for you! So, below you’ll find 12 quick tips for opening a restaurant. Enjoy! Meet Our Panel of Expert Restaurant Consultants: Ray Camillo – Founder & CEO,

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4 Quick Ways Restaurant Owners in Beach Towns Can Capitalize on Summer Vacationers

Consulting, General, Hospitality Consulting / By Ray Camillo

We’ve all heard the term “tourist trap.” When applied to restaurants, it’s generally a negative term that refers to places with high prices serving low quality versions of foods that made the area famous. Often these restaurants thrive because their customers are lured in by flashy signage, proximity to the main attraction or campy foods

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The Worst Advice We’ve Ever Heard for Restaurant Owners

Consulting, Leadership, Service / By Ray Camillo

As restaurant consultants, we are often in a position to offer advice…and to hear some zingers of both good and bad advice that restaurant owners have been given. As entrepreneurs, restaurant owners often seek advice from friends (whether in the industry or not), family members, vendors, and guests. Restaurant owners who need the advice are

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How Restaurant Owners and General Managers Can Write a Great Employee Developmental Plan in 5 Easy Steps

Consulting, General, Leadership / By Ray Camillo

For restaurant owners and general managers, the process of creating a restaurant employee developmental plan is very similar to writing quarterly goals – only there are no predetermined categories. The action steps should have many of the same characteristics as the steps in achieving goals. They should be SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound.

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5 Great Holiday Gifts for Your Managers that Aren’t Cash

General, Random Stuff / By Ray Camillo

In almost every scenario that requires motivation, we see more and more that cash gifts simply don’t work. Cash gifts don’t incentivize people to work harder because cash is the expected result of having a job. During the holidays, managers often become dependent on cash gifts to pay down their holiday debt. This creates conflict

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Why Love is the Magic Ingredient for Restaurants

Hospitality Consulting, Leadership, Service / By Ray Camillo

What’s love got to do with it? Asking the question “is there any place for love in business?” is like asking “is there any place for people who care?” We all believe relationships that have longevity are rooted in love and mutual respect. Since most businesses, including restaurants are built on groups of relationships it

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