Online restaurant communities are a valuable resource for restaurant owners. They provide a virtual meeting place for people who work in the restaurant industry. As a restaurant owner, they enable you to both access and share important, relevant restaurant industry information with other professionals in the field.

Engage with others in a restaurant online community through restaurant message boards and restaurant chat rooms. Ask questions to other professionals in the business and gain access to information that covers a wide array of restaurant related topics including finance, menus, food safety, restaurant technology, restaurant equipment and current trends in the industry, among many others.

Join restaurant and foodservice online communities to stay on top of restaurant industry information and keep your restaurant competitive. When you choose an online community on restaurants, consider the following:

1. Participation in an online community for restaurants does not have to cost you money.

2. Some online restaurant communities have both restaurant message boards and restaurant chat communities.

3. Several foodservice online communities are specific to a particular aspect of the restaurant business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Join restaurant and food service online communities that are free of charge

Many successful restaurants operate on a shoestring budget. One of the many benefits of online restaurant communities is that they give you access to valuable restaurant industry insights at no cost.

I recommend: Participate in free foodservice online communities through forums such as Roadfood.com and The Restaurant Community.

Use both restaurant message boards and chat rooms at online communities for restaurants

Restaurant message boards allow you to post a question or comment to the forum at your convenience and wait for a response, while chat rooms let you engage in live, real-time conversations with other professionals in the restaurant industry. Give yourself more options and flexibility when you utilize both.

I recommend: Get active in restaurant message boards at RestaurantOwner.com. Participate in live chat rooms at Foodservice.com, provided by Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

Participate in more specialized foodservice online communities

Some online restaurant communities focus on specific aspects of the restaurant business. These include foodservice chat communities that are focused on chefs, food and women in the restaurant business.

I recommend: Use specialized foodservice communities to access more specific and in-depth information that fits your business needs at both Chef2Chef, provided by the phpBB Group, and at Women Chefs & Restaurateurs.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Find out what the customers are saying. Get feedback about your restaurant and learn what others say about your competitors. There are several online consumer communities that review both restaurant service and food.