Each year, Arbor Day is celebrated in the United States on the last Friday in April, making it a prime opportunity for restaurateurs to connect with their community and plant trees, uniting current customers and attracting new ones. With spring in full bloom, Arbor Day offers plenty of promotional opportunities all while enjoying being outdoors among your community. Consider our recipe for a successful celebration.

Raise your glasses and celebrate these nutritious thirst-quenchers from Sun Orchard® juices. As delicious, all-natural alternatives to carbonated soft drinks, kids — and adults — won’t realize how healthy they are!

The icing on the menu-profit cake might just be the cake. That little something at the end of a meal can be really sweet — for the restaurant guest and for the dining establishment. But yesterday's cake won't do. It's important to keep up with consumer sweet preferences, innovative flavors, popular presentations and marketing messages that resonate.

Since weddings are mostly recession-proof and tend to fill a catering company's weekend calendar, most caterers want to add more weddings to their book of business, and rightfully so. Marketing to the bride, however, is vastly different than marketing to corporate clients. When selling weddings, it's not all about the food. It's about the vision. To secure your share of the wedding market, consider three helpful hints.

With 57% of consumers purchasing takeout once a week or more, an 8% increase over just three years ago, according to Technomic,it's no doubt a strong potential source of revenue for operators. Even with such healthy numbers, operators can rest assured that takeout is not cannibalizing dining room traffic. Sixty percent of consumers who recently purchased takeout said that if they had not done so on that occasion, they would most likely have cooked at home.

With spring just around the corner, it's never too early to get into a "spring cleaning" mindset, decluttering your business as you look to a new season and set new goals. One of which is most likely creating smarter, more targeted marketing campaigns. When was the last time you honestly took stock of your marketing elements? Our inventory checklist offers a few ideas to either create or update your marketing plan.

For your customers who refrain from eating meat during Lent, the 40-day period from Ash Wednesday to Easter, as a symbol of faith, there's no better time to create a new appreciation for fish. With Lent beginning this year on February 22, why not promote one of your fish, shrimp or vegetarian menu items? If your menu is fish free, now's the time to introduce at least one such item – even for a limited time.

In the full-service, off-premise catering world, the relationship between a caterer and its rental company is often the most crucial vendor connection. Without a credible and competent equipment rental provider, an event can be put at risk, often damaging the reputation of the caterer. Event attendees usually do not know who the rental provider is, so if problems arise such as chipped plates, lipstick-stained glassware or wobbly chairs, the caterer is likely to take the blame.

Ashley Lyerly knows gluten-free. When her son was diagnosed in 2007 with autism, studies were showing that behavioral outbursts and other discomforts among autistic children could be reduced by cutting out gluten, dairy and casein, a protein found in dairy that's often used as a binding agent in other foods. She gave it a try, both for herself and her son, and it worked.

As one of the most popular holidays to eat out during the year, Valentine's Day is the perfect time to think about attracting new customers to your restaurant. Capture the sentimental spirit by creating a special promotion that will win hearts for the day and keep them coming back long after February 14. Whether you partner with a nonprofit or create the perfect mood at the table for your guests, taking that extra step could make all the difference when diners are choosing between several restaurants.

The Super Bowl^® is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, media events of the year. Dedicated football fans and those who don't normally follow sports come together to watch what has really become more of a spectacle than an athletic event. Super Bowl Sunday is a popular time at bars and restaurants, and it's never too early to prepare your establishment for the increased volume you most likely will experience.

How are you marketing your restaurant for success in the new year? From social media to social consciousness, we've uncovered 10 trends that just might benefit your restaurant, bringing in new customers while keeping your regulars coming back. How many are you actively doing?

The event was cocktails and dinner stations at a recently renovated venue for 125 guests. To maintain the integrity of the décor, the venue director prohibited food displays in the newly styled rooms. The client wanted "something different" and also wanted to use all three floors. So, what was the logistical issue? Turns out, the only kitchen space was in the basement.

Take your dessert menu up a notch! With a little creativity, you can go from practical to profitable as your menu takes on a whole new look — using many of the sweet indulgences you already feature. All with a fun twist. We offer easy ideas to add variety to your menu, turning an end-of-the-meal treat into the beginning of something exciting for you and your customers.

Deck the halls, and tables, windows and front entrances too. It's time to season your foodservice operation with the sights and sounds of the holidays for a bottom line that's downright merry. Find tips and tales from the pros to help you make the most of the six-week period between Thanksgiving and New Year's.

Consumers may watch their restaurant spending closely for 11 of the year's 12 months, but come the winter holidays, the ancient traditions of celebration and generosity trump the urge to pinch pennies. Despite the lackluster economy, restaurants reported increased sales last December. Follow these four ideas and leverage consumers' year-end spending surge.

Sweet endings, and beginnings, are guaranteed on the epicurean streets of Manhattan from Sweetery NYC, a dessert truck that has been hitting New Yorkers’ sweet spots since 2009. Rivaling the selection at the city’s finest bakeries, the Sweetery NYC offers create-your-own croissants and brioches, oozing with rich creams of mocha, praline, vanilla, chocolate, marshmallow, honey or nut butter.

Fried chicken nuggets. French fries. Fried everything. When it comes to kids menus, a lineup like that is so five years ago. Or, should we say two years ago? Kid’s menus are becoming healthier. While these items may exist on menus, operators are balancing them with healthier sides like fresh vegetables, salads and fruits.

Soup is delicious, comforting and really easy to overlook. But that’s changing. In these budget-conscious times, soup’s finally starting to receive some long overdue attention. According to a 2011 Mintel report, segments most likely to move soup to the front burner are Fine Dining, Casual and Family/Midscale segments.

With Menu Profitbuilder Pro, you can review the profitability of every item on your menu. Easily update prices on all inventory items and link those prices to your recipes and menu items for a quick analysis of which items generate the most profit for your operation.

While most operators have mastered the art of making great food, many still struggle when challenged with how to run a more successful business. Using this as inspiration, we’ve created Resource Advantage, a collection of business services and products selected specifically to assist you in managing your business and creating better results.