Wednesday, November 2, 2016
Today's Specials:
WATCH: What are Service Dogs?
Avoid a discrimination suit and learn about service dogs. These furry friends help those with physical and mental disabilities navigate the world, gain independence and accomplish tasks.
DISCOVER: Seven Tips to Engage Staff for Increasing Restaurant Sales
What restaurant operator doesn't love a hefty guest check? Creating smart menus is one way of getting there, but in the end, you need your restaurant's staff engaged if you want higher sales.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Infographic: Alcohol & Sports a Match Made in Heaven?
A new survey from the Harris Poll suggests that alcohol and sport are indelibly intertwined. People who watch sport live in the stadium or at home on television are highly likely to enjoy the action with some form of alcoholic beverage. Interestingly, some sports involve higher levels of consumption than others with American football at the very top. See the rest of the boozy list here.
KO’d
An employee at a Mexican restaurant has been fired after throwing a series of punches at a woman customer. The woman was allegedly drunk at the time of the altercation and can be seen in the video exchanging some heated words with the male employee who threw the flurry of sucker punches. The employee may face prosecution. Video here (warning: it’s graphic).
Millennials are Keeping the Coffee Industry Alive
Finally, an industry Millennials aren’t “killing off.” According to a new report, Millennials consume 44% of all coffee sold in the US. It’s getting so big that demand is expected to outstrip supply over the next year. Not good for all those coffee addicts out there.
ARMED AND DANGEROUS
Why it matters to you: Because what happens in your establishment is your responsibility.
A Pizza Hut employee is on a leave of absence after coming to the restaurant’s defense. The employee using his personal handgun shot an armed robber early Sunday morning in Charlotte, N.C. The attempted thief, Michael Grace was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to the local Channel 9, who reached out to the Pizza Hut corporate office, policies on carrying a weapon vary by franchise. We’re guessing a change to the policy after this incident. Since establishments are insured for robbery and theft, the liability involved in the possibility of an accidental shooting far outweighs the benefit of defense in an armed robbery situation. This could’ve easily been a nightmare shootout situation. We’re glad it wasn’t.
WHEN SERVICE CHARGES DON’T GO TO SERVERS
Why it matters to you: Your charging policies could open you up to a lawsuit.
Labor laws are complicated, but a loophole in the Fair Labor Standards Act might be taking money out of servers’ pockets. Some restaurants bill service charges on top of other fees. The service charge goes to paying for broken glassware and other line items, however, guests might believe that the service charge goes to the server. In this case, there’s often a lawsuit and establishments have been forced to pay out. Don’t get caught in a scandal, effective guest communication typically can solve this problem.
ARBY’S SAYS WHAT’S NEW, DEER!
Why it matters to you: Learn from Arby’s and take a chance with something new
When Arby’s announced they were adding a venison sandwich to their “We Have The Meats” campaign to specifically target hunters, most folks expected a shaved meat recipe in line with their regular menu. Instead, Arby’s introduced a 5.5-ounce venison steak sandwich topped with a cabernet sauce and crispy fried onions…WHAT? If that sounds amazing to you, then you are in good company…because it sold out in just 5 hours. The limited time sandwich was slated to be available on Saturday, October 30th until Thursday, November 3rd, but people drove for miles just to try it and the feedback was universally positive. What a great lesson Arby’s teaches operators. They took a chance, created a little scarcity and gained enormous earned media by just being adventurous. Give it a shot, find your own disruptive menu item and see what happens.
STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
Why it matters to you: Do Politics and your business mix?
To say this election cycle has been divisive is an epic understatement. It appears that some folks in our industry, either aren’t aware or just don’t care. For example, Yuengling’s announcement last week that they are endorsing Donald Trump was a surprise to most observers. Suffice to say, beer drinking generally cuts across party lines, so why would a brewery that claims to be the oldest in North America be so unwise as to give their political opinion? "When your beer goes against or for something you believe in, you have a strong reaction," noted Bruce Hardy, professor of strategic communication at Temple University.
Certainly, the 15 local Washington DC bars that dumped Yuengling after the brewery owner’s endorsement think it’s personal. It started Dito’s manager Dito Sevilla (a Hillary Clinton campaign volunteer) sending messages to other bars about boycotting Yuengling. "It's so easy to pick another beer. We have 1,000 products to choose from," says Sevilla. "It creates a mini business for people who aren't giving out kooky endorsements." Free speech is a right in this country, but it doesn’t mean there are no consequences when someone doesn’t agree with your message. That certainly is the lesson these DC bars want Yuengling to learn.