Restaurant insights by 7shifts

The best restaurants for 2025, revealed

It’s time to update your (restaurant) travel bucket list. CNN recently revealed the best restaurants for 2025, based on votes from the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy. Topping the list were Maido in Lima, Peru; Asador Etxebarri in Atxondo, Spain; and Quintonil in Mexico City, Mexico. And the only U.S. restaurant in the mix was Atomix in New York, ranking at number 12.Side note: The James Beard Award winners were also announced last month, recognizing the best of the best in U.S. hospitality. So, if you’re looking to stay local, it’s still a good time for some restaurant inspiration.Starbucks baristas get an AI sidekick
Starbucks is testing Green Dot Assist, an AI helper built with Microsoft Azure’s OpenAI platform in 35 stores to answer everything from drink recipes to machine troubleshooting. No more digging through manuals or intranets to figure out how to actually make the iced brown sugar oat shaken espresso—just ask the tablet. With a broad rollout expected in the fall, your coffee might literally be brewed with the help of AI.

Next up! We pulled together a few standout moments from recent episodes of The Pre-Shift podcast that caught our ear.

🎥 Justin Khanna: How to kick off your restaurant content journey (without cringing)

Think content creation is just for TikTok influencers with ring lights? Think again. Justin Khanna—Chef, YouTuber, and Founder of Repertoire—says restaurant pros are exactly the ones who should be hitting record.His advice for beginners is to take a note from Gary Vee: ‘Document, don’t create.’ In other words, just show people what you’re already doing.“Let’s say you’re working a vegetable station at a one-Michelin-starred restaurant. It’s very difficult to come at content creation from a place of authority because you’re gonna get those comments… ‘You don’t have a restaurant yet. Why should I listen to you?’  If you’re basically saying, ’This is just how my life is’… nobody can argue with that.”Not sure which areas of your day-to-day are worth documenting? In the episode, Justin goes on to break down the biggest opportunities in restaurant content.🎧 Listen to the full episode or read the recap to get the scoop.

🤝 Shawn Walchef: The power of networking for restaurateurs

After attending the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show, Founder of Cali BBQ and Cali BBQ Media, Shawn Walchef, discusses his biggest takeaways from the event, including how AI is disrupting the industry. But after all the tech talk, he brings it all back to the good old-fashioned magic: person-to-person connection.“The biggest takeaway that I always take away from the show is that humans are at the heart of technology and hospitality, and you cannot underestimate how much deep business development work you can do in person.”“Not only are the vendors there, but other peers and colleagues who have the same struggles that we have are right there next to you. You don’t know who you’re gonna see in the hallway. You don’t know who you’re gonna sit next to on the bus. You don’t know who you’re gonna be grabbing coffee with… It’s completely possible that someone next to me has 10 restaurants in a different part of the country. And I can ask them things that they learned going from three to four to five restaurants—what would they have done differently?”On top of his NRA takeaways, in the episode Shawn also shares why storytelling matters more than ever for restaurants.🎧 Tune into the episode or check the recap for his take.

❌ Mistake #1: Treating your business like a passion

Avery: “A lot of operators—they do this as a passion. They love coffee, or they love interacting with the community… But the restaurant industry as a whole—it’s all a numbers game.”

It’s important to budget for labor costs and costs of goods sold each month. One way to stay on track is by creating recipe costing cards that break down the exact cost of each menu item, along with the profit it brings in. At Main Ground Coffee, the team aims for 80% of their drink sales to be espresso-based, as it yields higher margins.

❌ Mistake #2: Being your own general contractor

When you’re opening a new spot—or even just fixing things up—it can be tempting to go the DIY route to save a buck. But Main Ground Coffee was supposed to open six months earlier, and a whole bunch of issues pushed it back as Avery took it upon himself to handle sourcing and managing vendors: flooded sinks, misaligned HVAC ducts, and a few grand spent on a reverse osmosis system (because yes, water quality really does matters for good coffee).

His takeaway? Save yourself the stress—hire a good general contractor, and let the pros handle it.

❌ Mistake #3: Hiring just to fill up seats

Speaking of hiring great folks, it can also be tempting to hire fast when you’re understaffed—but rushing the process can cost you. A candidate might have tons of experience on paper, but if they bring a toxic attitude? That energy can tank your team (and bottom line). Avery’s advice? Don’t be afraid to say no in an interview. And don’t be afraid to interview 100 people just to find the right six.

Avery: “When you’re hiring, you ask for questions to see what their answers are and how they fit into your core values… Every business that you walk into, when they’ve got great people, you can feel that energy off of the people you’re interacting with that work there.”

Q: Are American tipping policies creeping north? Should Canada consider the ‘No tax on tips’ proposal?

For U.S. folks, ‘No tax on tips’ is inching closer to reality (ICYMI: we broke down what it means for restaurant owners on our blog). But what about Canada?

So far, there aren’t many signs it’s making its way up north, but that doesn’t mean folks aren’t talking. While some support the idea, many experts are also raising red flags. Here’s a look at both sides, according to CBC’s reporting:

✅ Yes to ‘No tax on tips’

Dawson Ryan, Server: “I feel like honestly it would get more people into the industry as well.”

Kris Sims, Alberta Director at Canadian Taxpayers Federation: “At the end of the day, a tax cut is a tax cut. If we can get it for people even if it’s for a certain class of people who just get tips, that’s a good thing.”

❌ No to ‘No tax on tips’

Christine Neill, Economics Chair at Wilfred Laurier University: “Certainly from an economics perspective, no one has explained it well. Maybe from a politics perspective, but I’m not even sure of that to be honest… It ends up being these higher income people that might be benefiting the most.”

Kevin Milligan, Economics Professor at UBC: “We’d like to think of treating a buck as a buck… Not caring too much whether it’s tip income or other kinds of income. So that’s why just helping out those with tip income is most likely something that’s not the best way to go.”

You don’t have time for pointless articles. These aren’t those.

☀️ 4 tips to prep for summer dining, from Uber Eats
As temps rise, so does demand—diners are ready for summer. Uber Eats breaks down how you can prep for the rush by improving takeout flows, refreshing menu options, levelling up social media, and optimizing outdoor seating.

🦓 The ‘zebra-striping’ trend that’s forcing restaurants to rethink their menu
The latest Gen Z trend is here, and it doesn’t involve TikTok. With 48% of drinkers actively choosing to drink less, many are “zebra-striping” it—aka: alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. So, here are three ideas for restaurants and bars to reap the benefits this summer season.