September 29, 2016
Today's Specials:
READ: Top Five CEOs Leading Growth
It's all over the headlines, restaurants are seeing stalling sales and shutting down locations across the country. Despite some downward trends, a few restaurants are growing their number of locations and seeing bumps in revenue. Take a look at our top pick of restaurant CEOs who are totally killing it.
LEARN: 3 Tips To Building Sports Bar Promotions That Work
Sports bars are a dime a dozen, so it's hard to build promotions that really stand out. Here are real-world tips from a sports bar owner on how to build sports bar promos that work.
When Should You Put Pumpkin On The Menu? [Sponsored by UpServe]
In the last few years, it seems as “pumpkin spice season” creeps up earlier and earlier, doesn’t it? Well, that’s because it does, and for good reason. Since 2003 when Starbucks debuted its seasonal beverage the #PSL they have sold more than 200 million! But your restaurant is not Starbucks, and it doesn’t have to be to take advantage of this pumpkin spiced frenzy. Learn how!
DID YOU KNOW...
Chicken Recall
Tyson Foods has voluntarily recalled more than 130,000 pounds of chicken nuggets after discovering they could contain hard plastic pieces. Yummy.
Burgers 4 Lyfe
Melbourne’s Café 51 is giving free burgers for life to anyone who gets one of their burgers and its logo tattooed on them. Talking about creative marketing. Tattoos are life; why not free burgers?
Voting Registration Fiesta
Starting on Monday and running through October 11, Houston-area residents will be able to register to vote at eight different taco trucks (all in reference to this story here). Cool idea, huh? Maybe you can do the same with your eatery!
A TRUE LEADER
Why it matters to you: True leadership often involves risk.
For many new parents, taking leave for child care and rearing is stressful business. One restauranteur is working to change that. Take Danny Meyer, the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, he recently announced a plan to remove tipping at his restaurants. Now, he’s tackling paid parental leave. Meyer announced that he will offer his workers of at least one year, four weeks of paid leave and an additional 4 weeks of leave paid at 60% of their wages.
Currently, businesses are required by law to offer 12 weeks of unpaid leave to full-time employees. For many, that isn’t really an option as so many workers are living paycheck to paycheck. This is groundbreaking and offers more women an opportunity to advance their careers in the food and beverage industry, which can only be good for business.
HE AIN’T HEAVY, SHE’S MY SISTER
Why it matters to you: Your employees are more than your responsibility, in many cases, they are like family.
The challenges that face restaurant operators and their employees are myriad, daunting and sometimes overwhelming. It really does feel like you are all alone in the battle no matter your role in our industry. Well, two different initiatives are attempting to show operators and their staff, they are not alone. The City of New York has created a panel to address the challenges owners and employees face in one of the toughest restaurant markets in the US. The NYC Food & Beverage Hospitality Council has been tasked by the city to study, plan and implement solutions to common challenges facing the industry and its employees. Chief among them are, informing operators about existing programs they can leverage, like mock inspections, to implementing a shared expense training program that will kitchen skills to 18 to 24 year-olds. The council is also studying regulations that restauranteurs find onerous as well as addressing worker welfare programs like overtime eligibility and the minimum wage.
At a private sector level, the Restaurant Opportunity Council is working to shine a light on the dearth of nighttime child care options for single parents that work for restaurants. Most child care facilities are open daily until 6 PM, which provides little help to an industry already seeing lunch fade into obscurity. Metrics like single mothers spending 35% of their income on child care contributes to the fact that of the over 1 million single mothers working for restaurants some 40% live at or below the poverty line. This economic reality added to the challenges faced in big cities like New York scream for some form of legislative relief. So the ROC’s efforts and the formation of the NYC F&B Council are a small step in the right direction.