Instagram story viewer> @businessdining> Posts

Laura Wilber

@businessdining

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

Restaurant Industry Trend: Independents vs. Chains

Yesterday at Prosper Forum by Prosper Company in Orlando, Kevin Hourican, CEO at Sysco shared that Independent restaurants are currently outperforming national chains by 200-300 basis points on traffic and volume.

Five reasons independents are winning:

1. Agility on menu pricing and value perception

2. Poultry-forward menus (poultry deflationary; beef high single to double digits inflationary, third consecutive year)

3. Impression of local sourcing, advertised visibly (chalkboard, menu tags)

4. Hospitality: owner in the building, relationships

5. Experimenting with worldwide flavors (Indian, Asian, Italian) Indian food fastest-growing segment; no national chain in the space. Younger consumers far more adventurous; TikTok driving food discovery

Mid single-digit volume growth with independents; negative mid single-digit with large national concepts.

What are your thoughts on dining at Independents vs. National Chains?

#restaurants
#restaurantbusiness
#restauranttrends taken in The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes by @businessdining

10

2

2 months ago

Our best days are yet ahead.

It’s Saturday morning. I’m flying in a day early to Orlando for Prosper Company’s Prosper Forum to allow margin for the unexpected. Sometimes the unexpected comes in the form of delays, today it came in the form of a gift.

I was standing at a shop in the new terminal at San Diego International, scanning the shelf for something interesting to read on my 5-hour flight. A title caught my eye: Good Money Revolution. The promise - make more money so you can do more good, & find your generosity purpose.

I brought the book to it to the register. The total rang up: $0.00.

A fellow shopper, Cindy from Arizona, was checking out right behind me and now we were both waiting to see if the author’s offer inside the front cover was real. The staff called management, then security. The clock was ticking on both our flights. The verdict came back: the book was mine, for Free.

Inside the cover, the author had written: “This book is free for you! Your best days are yet ahead.”

I show up at conferences to learn everything I can from the people leading the restaurant industry, so I can provide the most value I can for the people I’m fortunate enough to work with.

I’ll be reading it on the flight to Orlando and I’ll share what I learn in the comments.

Thank you Derrick Kinney, your best days are yet ahead!! 📖 ✈️

#grateful #generousity #generouspurpose taken in San Diego International Airport by @businessdining

8

3

2 months ago

So much of what I love about all the places I love to go to is the fact that they have great restaurants with beautiful environments, friendly warm staff, quality fresh ingredients, and they make me feel welcomed and cared for. All of those things are incredibly expensive for restaurant operators to execute.

Here are five ways you can support your favorite restaurants and make sure they are around in the future:

1. Go there early and midweek. As Chef Gordon Ramsay says the key to success for any restaurant is filling it Monday through Wednesday.

2. If you’re doing carry out or catering, order directly from the restaurant instead of through the third-party website build a relationship directly with that restaurant you love.

3. If they take reservations, make one and keep it. If you have to cancel give them plenty of advance notice.

4. Tip the staff say thank you treat the people working there with kindness and warmth. We want to keep great people working in the restaurant industry. In order for them to afford to live close to that restaurant you love they need to make a living wage.

5. If you see something they could be doing better let them know, privately, and take the time to leave a positive review publicly.

we vote with our dollars let’s vote for the restaurants we love the most!

what other ideas do you have to support restaurants? I’d
love to hear about them in the comments.

#hospitality #restaurant #businessdining #community by @businessdining

7

0

2 months ago

🔥 The LEAD team is in search of the Top 20 Emerging LEADers in Hospitality, and we need your help!🔥

This search aims to recognize emerging leaders who are excelling in their roles, and making a real impact in the hospitality industry.

✨ An emerging leader is someone demonstrating strong leadership potential - even if they are not yet in a senior leadership role. They typically show qualities such as:

🙋 Initiative and accountability
🗣️ Strong communication skills
💡 The ability to influence & motivate others
🧩 Problem-solving & decision-making ability
❤️ Emotional intelligence & adaptability
📈 A willingness to learn & grow

🍽️ This is YOUR opportunity to recognize ANY restaurant leader in your community - including Shift Leaders, Captains, Managers, Kitchen Managers, General Managers, Chefs, Area Leaders, Regional Directors, Vice Presidents, and Support Center Leaders.

Nomination period begins NOW, and goes through July 9th, before we narrow down our nominees and open the voting period to select our Top 20 Emerging LEADers in Hospitality!

Link to nominate an emerging LEADer you believe in, and help shape the future of hospitality in my bio! 🔥

Thank you to our sponsors 🔥
@Texas Restaurant Association
FSR QSR
@PepsiCo
@Toast
@Branded Hospitality
@IFBTA (International Food and Beverage Technology Association)

#LEAD #Leadership #Hospitality #Growth #Top20LEADers2026 Top20LeadersInHospitality by @businessdining

8

0

4 months ago

Are you renting your customers, or do you own them?

There’s great value in getting found on a marketplace. The equity comes from having your guests transact the sale directly with you.

Our corporate and government clients at Dinova are looking for great restaurants for dine in, carry out, catering and private events in every city across the US and Canada, early & midweek.

For qualified restaurants, there’s no upfront cost to get started, no discounting to the consumer, no point of sale integration, no tablets, & no work for staff or guests.

#equity #growth #revenue #value #restaurants hospitality
businessdining businesstravel by @businessdining

7

0

5 months ago

Some nights just land right. 🎯 ✨

This week at @nationalrestaurantshow 2026, I got to step into @flightclubdartsusa Chicago for a cocktail party hosted by @buyersedgeplatform and capture some of the fun!

Wow, did they deliver!
Multiple levels,
social darts,
incredible hors d’oeuvres,
great drinks,
and even better conversation.

The kind of venue that makes you slow down and actually enjoy the moment.

Buyer’s Edge Platform works behind the scenes helping food & beverage operators
uncover savings,
streamline purchasing,
and access programs that improve profitability across every area of their business.

In short, they help the hospitality industry run better.
And they know how to celebrate that work with their people.

A huge thank you to Laura Wilber @businessdining and Brendan Leahy for the invite. I felt so welcomed from the moment I walked in. And to the entire Buyer’s Edge team for hosting such a genuinely joyful evening.

This is what happens when great people, great food, and a great mission share the same room. 🎯

See someone you know in the reel? Send it to them, tag them or share! taken in Flight Club Darts USA by @businessdining

16

3

5 months ago

At the beginning of 2025 I made a commitment to show up once a week with a group of hospitality leaders called the Rising Tide on LinkedIn, to share stories and best practices live. I had been listening in, and contributing infrequently for a couple years prior to that. It wasn’t until I made a commitment to show up consistently, that I really started growing as a leader.

This idea of the importance of showing up became clear to me when a friend’s son was away at college, and had set an appointment with a counselor, which my friend wasn’t sure her son was going to show up for. I remember thinking how critically important I felt it was for him to just show up. He didn’t have to worry about anything else. He just had to get himself there. Without showing up, nothing was going to change for the better.

Today on the Rising Tides show, @deanlabay LaBay mentioned COI cost of in action. People often think about ROI - return on investment, but how often do we think about what inaction is costing us. In the case of the young man at college, inaction would would keep him feeling stuck, depressed, and hopeless. Showing up for himself, taking one step in the direction of feeling better, was going to be of enormous value.

Once we show up - 80% of the work is done. From there we can evaluate is this the right place, are these the right people, and can I commit to doing this consistently.

You’ve got this! 🙏🏼💪🏼💕 by @businessdining

20

2

6 months ago

Headed to Kansas City for work tomorrow. I always try to soak in as much of home and the sunset as I can before work travel. I hear Kansas City is great, and I’m excited to visit there for the first time. My brother drove the Bronco last night when the four of us went to dinner. We’ve had such a beautiful winter/early spring. taken in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California by @businessdining

11

2

7 months ago

That was a blast. Thank you restaurant leaders for showing up in San Diego, and sharing your wisdom to make us all better. #rfis2026 taken in Loews Coronado Bay by @businessdining

15

2

7 months ago

Happy St Patrick’s Day! 🍀 by @businessdining

14

0

7 months ago

I spoke with someone at the restaurant conference I’m attending who didn’t have a car and wasn’t planning on leaving the conference hotel. Coronado Island is a really special place and the center of it is the @delcoronado so for anybody watching this that is here, or going to Coronado island, it’s an absolute MUST to visit the hotel Del. taken in Coronado, California by @businessdining

9

0

7 months ago

@daybreak.lovely weekend is coming up April 24 & 25! by @businessdining

9

0

7 months ago