September 1, 2016
Today's Special
Read: 6 Reasons to Get Your Employees Drunk
We’ve mentioned different ways to invest in your employees, but how about handing them a drink? We have some fun suggestions to build your staff’s expertise and have a little fun at the same time.
DID YOU KNOWS…
They’ll Deep Fry Anything
Deep-fried Jello-O won “Best Food” at the Texas State Fair “Big Tex Choice Awards.” It basically looks like a jelly-filled Munchkin donut but dipped in batter and flash fried. It’s then topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream and a cherry. The cherry makes it a health food, right?
He Who Controls the Spice…
It might just be September 1st, but the pumpkin spice is flowing, and some people aren’t too happy about it. Two guys are in their third year of the “Stop Premature PSL” (AKA Pumpkin Spice Latte) movement, where they protest the early arrival of pumpkin-spiced drinks before the official start date of autumn (Sept. 22).
See this Instagram photo by @beansauer * 916 likes
See this Instagram photo by @beansauer * 710 likes
Click at Your Own Risk
They say if you like sausage don’t work at a sausage factory, and the same can be said with any of these seven grossest foods you’re eating (and serving) without knowing it.
GLUTEN TESTING: COMING TO A TABLE IN YOUR RESTAURANT
Why it matters to you: New tech will help make sure your “Gluten Free” menu is actually gluten free.
A California-based start-up is releasing a product later this year called NIMA, which is a portable technology allowing anyone to test their food for the protein gluten. It takes a pea-sized sample of food or drink and indicates the presence of America’s most hated protein with a frowny face. The company has raised over $14 million in funds and will release another version next year that can detect milk and peanut contaminants.
At $199, the price tag should deter the “gluten sensitive” folks who happily take a bite of their friend’s brownie when dessert arrives. An iPhone app will be launched along with the release of the device, which will allow users to share the test results. It might be a good idea to grab one for your eatery to make sure your gluten free labels are true before your customers do.
I’M READY FOR MY CLOSE UP MR DEMILLE
Why it’s important to you: Making yourself camera ready is a great thing to do.
It’s come to this? Operators are now designing décor, lighting and menus to facilitate Instagram users desire for photo sharing. According to Derek Brown, owner of Columbia Room in D.C., “We thought through the process: How are people going to Instagram our cocktails? What do we put in the background? How do we affect the lighting—both to make the cocktails look immediately beautiful but also in the long run to preserve that memory?” And to be frank, it’s a trend we think you need to give your attention.
Making it easier for people to highlight your products, décor and atmosphere is an easy path to effortless social media recognition. Whether you have a cool artifact like the keyhole entry below to your bar that inspires people to post or you revamp your food and beverage presentations so guests will post them to make their friends envious, this is a smart strategy. In fact, some operators are even reviewing images of their products on Instagram to see if they are being made & plated right. The beauty of this approach is once you have determined the presentation standards your regular operations will make them happen…and then you can enjoy your guests doing all the social media heavy lifting for you.
See this Instagram photo by @theriggsby * 38 likes
See this Instagram photo by @mirabellajg * 33 likes
MY HERO [Song]
Why it’s important to you: Sometimes college football heroes can be actual heroes!
Florida State University wide receiver, Travis Rudolph, had lunch at a Tallahassee middle school on Tuesday with his teammates. Nothing special, right? Not if you ask Leah Paske! Her son, Bo Paske, has autism and typically eats his lunch alone. Not on Tuesday, however. Travis saw Bo alone at the far end of a table and joined him to eat his pizza and spend a little time with him. And here is what makes this special: no one would have ever known had a friend at the school not send a picture of the sweet scene to Leah.
Leah didn’t know who Travis Rudolph was before his incredibly kind gesture to her son, but she does now. In fact, she posted the image on Facebook with a lengthy quote expressing her gratitude to Travis and equally important her joy that Bo, at least on this day, wasn’t alone for his lunch. This story is wonderful on so many levels that we just had to share it. Travis didn’t consider the import of his actions when sitting with a lonely little boy, just that he would make one child’s day a bit brighter. His motivation was genuine and the outcome pure happiness. We dare you to read Leah’s post and not get sweaty eyes…we double dare you!