MEME MONDAY: Late Guests, To-Go Boxes, and Calling Out Sick
Restaurant Meme Monday is back! This week's memes include late guests, to-go boxes, and the calling out "sick" starter pack. Commiserate and maybe have a few chuckles to kick-off your Monday.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Boston’s Getting an Ax-Throwing Bar
Toss back some beers and then throw some axes. That’s what Bostonians will be able to do when Urban Axes opens up this summer. The bar will have “walk-in” hours, as well as reservations for events, and includes on-site coaching to go over safety technique. They will not, however, be serving food. Wouldn’t want to get grease on those handles, amiright?
Pizza Hut Goes Full Black Mirror
Remember the self-delivering pizza truck from Black Mirror? Well, Pizza Hut and Toyota have teamed up to make just that. At Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the two debuted an eight-wheeled driverless pod. The similarities are eerie.
Mobbed by Lemurs
A BBC reporter was trying to do a simple report on animal counting. Then the Fire Nation attacked… we mean, lemurs. Lemurs attacked.
RAIDERS OF THE LOST EMPLOYEE
Why it matters to you: Are you ready if ICE makes a visit?
Current US policy on undocumented immigrants at work has seen a significant uptick in Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and enforcement activities. On Wednesday of last week, ICE raided 98 7-11 stores and arrested 21 undocumented workers. This is first significant raid since the administration began beefing up immigration rules via executive orders. It also represents a new phase that should send a shiver down the spine of any operator that isn’t 100% sure their entire team has the legal right to work in the United States.
If you haven’t recently, it might be time to do an audit of your own staff files and verify you have all the I-9 forms complete for your team. If you don’t and you get a visit from ICE, you are in a serious bind. They will most certainly arrest anyone that is present and without documentation, and you can be fined for every file you have that is out of compliance.
For a long time, immigration enforcement was a lax effort for retailors and restaurant operators. These raids are a clear warning that the Federal government is taking the gloves of and holding employers accountable for their hiring decisions. Don’t get caught flat footed here and get ahead by putting your own house in order. Good Luck!
IS THIS PLACE FORMAL OR CASUAL?
Why it matters to you? Fine dining is returning in the nation’s capital cities & making a splash like it once did.
When was the last time you heard someone ask the dress code of a restaurant? Fine dining hasn’t been embraced in most of the US for several years now. Why is that? Starting around 2008, when the New York Times critic Frank Bruni gave three stars to a restaurant with no tablecloths -- no elegant glass or silverware, and no coffee service -- a revolution started. No restaurant with communal aspects or anything so casual had ever found itself with such high praise from the Times. The economy was struggling and some restaurants realized that fine dining wasn’t going to be in the cards for anyone for a while.
Fast forward to today, most restaurants are in this casual dining genre. It is a mellow night, welcoming to all types, comfortable, and much less expensive than any fine dining experience. Most places have a burger on the menu, no waiters wearing pressed shirts, and there are minimal pricey options on the menu. Is there still room for fine dining to make a comeback? We think so, especially as the casual dining experience has seemingly started to run out of steam due to oversaturation. People can’t want a community table at every restaurant they visit…
Several new fine dining restaurants are starting to pop back up all over the country which is seen as a reactionary development to what we have been experiencing in the industry for the past decade. Does this signal a definite change? Is it just these trendsetting chefs growing up and realizing there is room for the casual and the fine dining? Time will tell, but this looks a lot like an evening out back to how it once was before the stock market crashed a decade ago.
