Friday, October 28, 2016
Today's Specials:
READ: Yelp’s Partnership with Nowait is a Game Changer
Yelp's partnership with on-demand dining app, Nowait, promises to lead to amazing guest experiences and better Yelp reviews. Here's what you need to know.
WATCH: You've Lost That Loving Feeling [How Hollywood Sees Us]
Music is a magical tool that can bring people together and create a mood. Sing-alongs especially so. In this week's How Hollywood Sees Us, we take a peek at a great bar scene in Top Gun in which music, most certainly sets the scene.
DID YOU KNOWS…
That’s a Crazy Cover Charge
Bars near Wrigley Field are charging up to $250 (per person) for baseball fans to get inside their venue to watch the Cubs play in the World Series – on TV. At some bars, it gets fans drinks and a buffet, but necessarily a seat. A few bars are charging an extra $500 for a guarantee four-seat table.
Weak Competition
All that talk about how meal-kit-delivery companies are threatening restaurants? Maybe not so much. Analysis by 1010data suggests that meal-kit customers bail from the service after just six months of subscription. Cheaper groceries remains a bigger threat to restaurants.
Deer in the Headlights
Have you seen the video of the deer rampaging its way through an Indiana restaurant? No, you should. We’re all that guy at the end, though.
GOODBYE VINE
Why it matters to you: You don’t need to stress about your social media campaigns.
Earlier today, Twitter announced that it will be shutting down its short-form video app Vine that it purchased only four years ago. The change will happen over the next few months, and Twitter will keep the website up so users can continue to view the videos they’ve created. The change seems to be in part an effort to shave costs, as Twitter also announced it would lay off 9% of the company’s global workforce.
With the constantly shifting landscape of apps here today and gone tomorrow it’s certainly not imperative to have photos of your food on every single social media platform. A good social media strategy encompasses the basics and just makes it easier for people to find you and share your food and drink more easily with friends. Don’t sweat the small stuff, and certainly, you can forget about posting videos on Vine.
ADA EXTORTION?
Why it matters to you: Don’t pay the price when it comes to ADA compliance.
A Bailey, Colorado restaurant may have to shut its doors over a pretty small ADA non-compliance issue in a discrimination suit. The restaurant’s owner now has an attorney on his side that is helping him argue the case. The complaint: the restaurant’s urinal is a few inches too high.
The whole thing feels a bit like extortion as the owner could have settled the case for $15,000. Considering the plaintiff has filed several other similar suits at other Colorado restaurants we’re definitely skeptical of his motives. We’re not saying you should fear every guest on crutches or in a wheelchair, but awareness around ADA compliance could save you money down the line, especially if you’re a small business owner.
TRUMP TRAILS BEHIND IN INDUSTRY SUPPORT
Why it matters to you: It pays to be inclusive.
After pulling out of the D.C. deal with Trump, Chef José Andrés has joined Hillary on her side in Florida. Andrés is really sticking it to Trump with his support declaring at a rally, “My name is José Andrés, and I am an immigrant!” As he and his wife were naturalized in 2013, having emigrated from Spain, this will be the first American election they’ll vote in.
The restaurant world is definitely having a reaction to Trump’s insistence on exclusion, as no one wants to open a restaurant in the D.C. Trump Hotel, despite its fabulous location down the street from the White House. Most recently Stephen Starr has turned Trump down when offered the prime restaurant real estate. Considering even fast casual won’t support Trump, it’s pretty clear the restaurant industry has chosen their side this election.