LEADERSHIP: Four Ways Restaurant Managers Can Lead with Empathy

Management is tough. Not only do you handle scheduling, inventory and other operational tasks. But you also have to manage people not to mention guests. Here are some ways to navigate those difficult personel situations.

MARKETING: 3 Easy Email Marketing Ideas for Restaurants

Are you sending out the same boring restaurant email marketing campaign? It's time to spice it up with these three simple ideas.

DID YOU KNOWS…

We hope you had a successful Valentine’s Day. Here’s our V-Day restaurant news wrap-up!

Heart-Shaped Pizzas Fails

Apparently trying to make pizza into hearts is a thing. And not an easy thing if the Internet is to be trusted. Here are some hilarious heart-shaped pizza fails to warm you through the day.

Newest Taco Bell Item: Weddings

Yes, now you, too, can have the wedding of your dreams and get hitched at Taco Bell (Las Vegas). And all for just $600. Their “festive wedding” package includes a sauce packet bouquet, garter & bow tie, “Just Married” t-shirts and Taco Bell champagne flutes. Romantic, right?

No Love (Letters) Lost

Decades of love letters have been kept secret in a Spokane restaurant. Hundreds of love stories, poems & letters scrawled on napkins can be found in three drawers of the lounge area at Europa Restaurant and Bakery. It’s a neat little tradition. Watch the video story here.

TO TASTE OR NOT TO TASTE

Why it matters to you: Wine etiquette may be outdated and deserves a second look.

In fine dining, the process of ordering a bottle is pretty standard. The bottle is presented, opened and a sample of wine tasted to check that it was stored properly. However, some upscale establishments are doing away with the sampling tradition and for a good reason.

Sommeliers experience first-hand that the tasting process is fraught with uncertainty. Those unaccustomed to the ritual feel uncomfortable, anxious and uncertain as to what’s expected of them. There are also those that will reject the wine simply because they can. When there are large parties, often the wine tasting comes as an unwelcome interruption to conversation. Why hold onto a tradition that isn’t serving anyone?

DELIVERY DECEPTION

Why it matters to you: Is your delivery staff getting ripped off?

With delivery becoming increasingly popular especially during bad weather, takeout staff remains a crucial aspect of business. Insider recently took a look at the reality behind takeout delivery workers and found that they are in fact, treated quite poorly. Some of the struggles that city delivery workers endure include working long hours for little pay and not getting proper tips. A few discussed how they are paid under minimum wage because they accept tips, some of which are scarce. Also, some delivery staff has reported holes in the system where their employer pocket roughly 15% of their tips.

Not all delivery workers are mistreated or underpaid, but all of them face dangerous conditions at some point. New York is in the process of passing a law that would make company owners personally responsible for stolen wages so that even if a company goes out of business, the owners still have to pay delivery staff. This is an important issue to keep on our radar with the growing trend that delivery is holding within the industry.