Did You Know…
SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!
Pope Francis had a little fun in a recent sermon in St. Peter’s Square where he talked about marriage. It was capped off with the memorable line: “Imagine finishing a wedding party drinking tea—it would be shameful! Wine is necessary for the celebration!”
Bonus: Wine consumption at the Vatican is about 20 gallons per person, annually (the highest, per capita, in the world).
AVOCADO MAFIA
Surging demand for avocados have created a black market crime wave in New Zealand. There have been nearly 40 large-scale thefts from avocado orchards this year with upwards of 350 fruit stolen each time. Avocados are selling for between NZ$4-6 each across the country.
Today's Special
MYSTERY MEAL
Why it’s important to you: Add to your food and beverage knowledge; your guests demand it.
Last week’s survey demonstrated that our subscribers know local, but maybe not foreign foods. After reviewing our results, it’s clear we have some distance to travel to deliver the type of expert level knowledge your guests expect. Check out the results and see how you stack up with your peers.
RISE OF THE GROCERANTS
Why it’s important to you: Grocerants are your direct competitor and are taking away a sizeable portion of your customers
Millennials are dumping restaurants in favor of grocerants, a grocery store that offers fresh, restaurant-quality prepared foods. Whole Foods is a perfect example. In-store dining and take-out prepared meals from grocerants have grown by 30% since 2008 and account for $10 billion in consumer spending last year.
Why are Millennials opting for grocerants? According to the NPD Group, it’s because grocerants offer a wider variety of food and healthier meal options than a full-service restaurant. Grocerants also allow for Millennials to get restaurant-quality food at a slightly lower cost and much faster. They’re in and out and back with their busy lives.
How can you leverage this info? For starters, look at their reasons. Millennials want quick food options that are cost effective, but they also want variety and to eat healthy. If you haven’t yet, it might be a good time to consider what you can do to meet these consumer’s desires. Some restaurants might even be able to mimic the grocerant model by having some prepared food ready for fast takeout orders.
YOU BE THE JUDGE
Why it’s important to you: If you choose a partner, choose that partner well.
A Washington D.C. trial court judge has denied Donald Trump’s assertion that he doesn’t need to participate in depositions surrounding yet another lawsuit. The judge is requiring Trump to appear at court today at 10am. In this case, Trump is doing the suing and it’s directed at one of our own, celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian. The suit stems from a contract between Trump and Zakarian to open an outlet in Trump International Hotel in D.C. Both Zakarian and another celebrity chef, Jose Andres, withdrew from separate deals after Trump’s disparaging comments about Mexican immigrants last fall.
Each chef claimed that an association with Trump would hurt their reputations and restaurant brands. Is that reason enough to breech a contract? Well these chef’s believe it was and now Zakarian is embroiled in the suit. While it’s clear that Trump’s characterizations of Mexican immigrants are inflammatory, it shouldn’t have surprised either chef that he was capable of that type of vitriol. Does Trump have a legitimate beef here? The answer is probably.
BORN IN THE USA [Song]
Why it’s important to you: This is our national golf tournament and it makes the best players in the world look like duffers
The US Open begins today and returns to Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania. This event is a personal favorite because the course make up is designed to drive high scores and make the best golfers in the world look human. Below we have compiled a few ‘Did You Knows’ so you can sound expert when guests engage you on the tournament.
Oakmont Course Statistics: The course is 7,255 yards. Par 71. Johnny Miller holds the course record with a 63 in the 1973 US Open. There are only two Par 5s and four Par 3s. The US Open has been held there nine times, the last being in 2007 when Angel Cabrera of Argentina won with an eye popping 285(+5). Here’s a great overall map of the course and individual course maps
The Field: It’s no surprise that Jason Day and Rory McIlroy are favored in this year’s group. Danny Willet, the Masters winner, is considered a long shot to win his second major of the season; Phil Mickelson looks to avenge his sixth second place finishes in this event.
Coverage: FOX Sports owns the rights to this event and will have coverage everyday beginning this morning at 10am on FS1 and running onto FOX national at 5pm. DIRECTV also offers bonus coverage of the event with channels dedicated to featured groups and feature holes.
ONLY WHEN I’M S-FACE AND SILLY
Why it’s important to you: Excessive tips are not always a good thing
We are all prone to silly mistakes when intoxicated, but one guest at a Denver-area restaurant took silly to absurd. This past weekend a guest at Thailicious in Edgewater, Colorado left a $1088 tip for his $40 dinner. While the server was ecstatic, the restaurant’s owner was cautious and suggested the server hold the money, just in case the guest had made an error.
Turns out that’s exactly what happened. He returned on Monday and explained that in his intoxicated haze he had mistaken some to the hundreds for singles. You have to give credit to owner Bee Anantatho for being thoughtful and proactive. She did the right thing and now it’s national news. Do you have any experience with a tip gone wrong? We’d love to hear about it. Click Here to tell us your best crazy tip story and we will share it in a future newsletter.