Restaurants are dealing with increased food prices in a variety of ways. But it's a simple fact that they can only raise their prices so much before customers complain and refuse to come back. So it's more important than ever to come up with creative ways to make the most of menu items, reduce the amount of waste, and still provide value to customers.

Zac Bissonnette wisely pointed out that reducing portion sizes probably isn't a bad idea for many of us. Less obvious changes might include cutting out side dishes and sauces or substituting cheaper ingredients in favorite dishes. This video details one restaurant owner's struggle:

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.