Goliath Consulting Group Updates & News

Atlanta’s restaurant industry is about to experience one of the biggest hospitality opportunities in the city’s history. With eight FIFA World Cup 2026 matches scheduled for Mercedes-Benz Stadium — including a semifinal match — restaurant owners across metro Atlanta should already be preparing for an unprecedented influx of international visitors, media attention, and economic activity. Industry…

According to a Statista survey, industry specialists suggest that social media is now the leading marketing channel as people increasingly spend time on their phones. From this form of marketing, restaurants reported an average of 9.9% increase in business as a direct result of their social media strategies (Deloitte). However, there is more to social media marketing than simply posting– there…

It is an interesting dilemma in the restaurant consulting role when you have the answer, but your client doesn’t ask the question. Recently a client, without asking for my consultation, made a decision that negatively affected operations and easily cost $25,000 or more over the course of the week. When I heard about the decision that the client had made, all I could do was help put a plan…

Cross-Channel Strategies to Maximize Online and In-Restaurant Buzz The heat of summer may be over, but for restaurateurs, the real momentum begins with the launch of fall and winter limited-time offers (LTOs). As discussed in Part 1 of this series, crafting show-stopping, crave-worthy LTOs that embrace seasonal flavors lays the foundation. However, even the best dish or drink can slip quietly…

The Phenomenon From Baby Boomers to Gen Z: A Generational Divide The current decline in alcohol consumption is not a fleeting trend but an accelerating, long-term generational shift. A Gallup poll shows that the percentage of American adults who report drinking alcohol has fallen to 54%, the lowest point in three decades. This trend is particularly pronounced among the younger generation.…

Preventative maintenance is key to protecting your bottom line. Here are some summer HVAC and refrigeration tips:

Summer is just around the corner. It’s time to break out the patio furniture and put the heaters away in storage. With the warmer temperatures approaching, every savvy restaurateur knows to retrieve their end of spring checklist to guarantee this season is as smooth as it can be. Preventative maintenance is key to protecting your bottom line. From refrigeration to HVAC, there are multiple things…

Navigating the Supply Chain in the Restaurant Industry

Since the start of the pandemic, safety measures such as social distancing, lockdowns and mask-wearing have completely changed our understanding of how consumers spend on food. We saw customers stockpiling on groceries and supplies in homes instead of going out to eat, raising retail sales by 29 percent over the previous year (1). Meanwhile, sales at cafes, fast-food restaurants, coffee shops,…

Beverage Trends of 2021: Non-Alcoholic Drinks

Now that 2021 is finally here, it’s out with the old and in with the new. And in the business side of beverages, no topic is more trendy right now than “functional beverages.” Functional drinks are just what it sounds like. They’re beverages that serve a “function,” or basically, products that claim to benefit health, wellness or performance (1). And according to The Hartman Group’s Functional…

Toasting the New Year like a Pro. Choosing a champagne for your New Year's Eve celebration.

How to select bubbles like a career wine buyer “Champagne is not just for celebrations,” goes the old statement in every beverage manager training manual, “but champagne is perfect for celebrations!”  It is time to bid farewell to a tumultuous 2020 and bring in the new year with an inside look at what beverage professionals will be pouring in their flutes this New Year’s Eve.  From new world…

Five Ways AI Cameras Will Help Your restaurant in 2021

In our last restaurant technology blog, we discussed COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the growth and development of AI voice technology and how it was quickly modernizing the drive-thru operations as we know it (1). The very same technology has been working on cameras, too. AI tech now enables cameras to perform designated tasks, recognize faces, and alert managers when issues arise in operations…

The 5 Biggest Restaurant Food Trends to Watch in 2021

2020 has certainly been a year like no other for the industry. Through stay-at-home orders and extended shutdowns, restauranteurs had to be nimble and creative, relentlessly searching for new business avenues and strategies to keep their businesses afloat. Now that 2021 is only weeks away, we are making predictions on what the new year will bring. Here are our top 5 food and restaurant trend…

Navigating the Bar Business During the Holidays and into 2021

Supply chain issues and Covid-19 are not making it easy to run a bar right now.

The Oktoberfest kegs are empty and public spaces are starting to light up with the holiday spirit.  Most bar managers are pulling out their gingerbread martini and hot spiced rum recipes to fill their seasonal drink menus.  But in 2020 and the midst of a pandemic, will the same old holiday cocktails appeal to…

Our Biggest 5 Restaurant Flavor Trend Predictions

From pumpkin spice to Chile de Arbol, here we dive into the restaurant industry’s top trending flavors and predict the ones that’ll last until 2021.

Fall Favorites

Fall flavors are dominating the market right now. Yelp’s recent data (from 9/21/2020) shows that searches for pumpkin spice foods were up dramatically from last year: pumpkin spice lattes were up 72%, pumpkin pie up 66%, pumpkin…

Restaurant Business Trends to Follow in 2021

2020 has been quite a learning experience. From social distancing to customers wearing face masks, the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced us to new vocabulary and concepts never heard of in the restaurant industry: businesses had to sell grocery items and toilet paper during the quarantine, specialty menu items had to go due to supply chain issues and some indoor spaces had to be closed off to…

Why Become a Franchise Owner?

The Benefits of Owning a Franchise Restaurant Business

We discussed in our earlier blogs why it is a great time to buy a food franchise in 2020 through 2021. Prospects continue to be bright for fast food and fast-casual franchises: Papa John’s Pizza just announced their plan to open 1,000 new stores over the next five years (1), and Whataburger hinted an offer of offering new franchising units…

The Future of Restaurant Technology

The AI and tech that will take over the restaurant industry.

We previously discussed social distancing and contact-free technology that offered safety solutions during the pandemic. But there’s much more that tech has to offer, especially when it comes to AI being integrated into guest order systems, training, and restaurant operations. Here are some standout tech innovations that…