The Seared Blog

Insights on restaurant technology, food cost management, and how independent restaurants can compete with the big chains.

The 5 Marketing Moves Every Independent Restaurant Needs (and Most Are Missing)

By Chad Tennent · May 6, 2026

Most independent restaurants are doing zero marketing and don't know it. They're posting food pics, boosting a post here and there, and hoping. That's not marketing. Here are the 5 things that actually move the needle — and where most owners should start.

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The Hidden Tech Tax on Independent Restaurants (and How to Get It Back)

By Chad Tennent · April 13, 2026

A restaurant owner I know in northeast Ohio is doing $42,000 a month in revenue. Two years ago that was a comfortable living. Today she's wondering how much longer she can keep the doors open. It's the hidden tech tax — and it's quietly killing the restaurants that built American food culture.

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