The first platform in the hospitality industry to put diners at the center of how restaurants operate, so restaurants can create better experiences and grow their businessBentoBox, the Official Restaurant Technology Partner of the James Beard Foundation (JBF), has launched the BentoBox Marketing & Commerce Platform, an all-in-one restaurant commerce engine—encompassing modules for websites, online ordering, reservations, and events management—that will engage diners and keep them coming back.Starting today, restaurant operators can leverage the BentoBox Marketing & Commerce Platform to stand out from the competition and bring in more business, sell during and after business hours to boost profits, connect with diners between visits, and operate more efficiently to improve their bottom line.This announcement includes the introduction of BentoCore, the heart of the platform that houses a restaurant’s diner data and centralizes menu information, marketing tools, and branding materials. BentoCore powers diner-facing modules that restaurants can activate based on their needs, including Restaurant Website, Takeout & Delivery, Digital Waitlist, Online Catering, Events Management, Reservations, Gift Cards, and QR Code Order & Pay. The activation of more modules allows BentoCore to collect more data, providing a fuller view of restaurant’s diners and overall business performance, enabling more targeted marketing and smarter hospitality.Marketing Technology News: Optimove NFL Betting Trend Data Reveals Volume of Bets Increase During Playoffs, Average Bet Amount DeclinesKey features of BentoCore include:Diner Database: Gives restaurants a unified view of their diners. It collects and stores data from diner interactions with a restaurant’s website, online ordering, reservations, and more, which restaurants can then use to create more personalized marketing and hospitality experiences. Menu Management: Allows restaurants to centrally manage all of their menus and menu items, taking a one-and-done approach. Whenever a restaurant needs to make a change to a menu, they only need to do it once and the menu will automatically update everywhere it shows up online

As restaurants look for ways to drive employee satisfaction amid inflation, tips are not the only added payments that operators are leveraging. In an interview with PYMNTS, Chef Ana Castro of New Orleans Mexican restaurant Lengua Madre noted that the eatery has introduced a 4% “wellness fee,” optional for customers, to cover rising costs of health insurance and benefits for employees. She added that, while this fee rubs certain customers the wrong way, further increasing menu prices could alienate consumers. “For the time being I think that wellness fee is going to stay until we can figure out another way. With inflation, everything is way more expensive,” Castro said. “You already have to raise prices, so if you were to tack on that fee, it would be like vroom

As part of its celebrations of the event, BentoBox partnered with the James Beard Foundation to host a talk on how restaurant workers can develop hard and soft skills, craft career paths, and lead effective teams.