Friday, November 18, 2016
Today's Specials:
TIPS: 5 Restaurant Inventory Fails to Avoid at All Costs
On a scale of 1 - 10, how much do you hate taking inventory? If you’re like most people you’d rank it as a 0. You hate it with a passion. Here's how to avoid these five business-crushing inventory fails.
WATCH: Appreciating the Diversity in our Restaurant's Kitchens [How Hollywood Sees Us]
Just like America, what makes our restaurant's kitchens great is the amount of diversity that can be found in them. No movie shows how old and new can combine into something amazing than the movie One-Hundred Foot Journey.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Mannequin Challenge
The Mannequin Challenge. Heard of it? It’s where a bunch of people freeze in crazy poses/scenes while someone with a camera video tapes them all. A few restaurants have gotten in on the action, and even got their patrons to join the fun. You can watch a few samples here. It’s a great example of restaurants riding the wave if a new fad.
See this Instagram video by @ninadobrev * 391.8k likes
Dog’s Best Friends
We say that dog is man’s best friend, but it appears it’s not the same the other way around. At least not for these two dogs – one who’s found a pal in a polar bear who just wanted to pet the dog, and another who enjoys its daily swim with local dolphins.
Emergency Turkey Help
The fine folks over at Butterball will answer turkey-prep questions via text messages this year. Just fire off your Qs to 844-877-3456 where a Butterball expert patiently awaits your Thanksgiving cooking emergency.
HAVING YOUR WINGS AND TECHNOLOGY TOO
Why it matters to you: BWW’s new CIO is further proof you need to learn more about available tech.
It’s not unusual for a multi-billion dollar company to employ a Chief Information Officer. Although, it is less so, when that company’s main product is chicken wings and silicon chips. That is the case with Buffalo Wild Wings appointment of a new CIO. Such is the trend in our industry over the past few years as many big operators are employing tech professionals not only at the top but to do their own development.
Given that Starbuck’s has added 150 full-time technology development staffers you can at least infer that they value the impact that this technology is having on their business. The CMO of Domino’s has been quoted as saying, “We are a technology company that delivers pizzas.” These are both stark reminders of the increasing role new technology is playing in the operation, control and services delivered by restaurants. Surely, it’s time for you to start investigating which of these tech products you will embed in your business in the near future.
DELIVERY TRUMPS POST-ELECTION BLUES
Why it matters to you: Is an uptick in delivery a sign of shaking off the election blues?
As the presidential election grows smaller in the countries rearview mirror, some great news is coming from the delivery segment. Same days sales for DoorDash (Wed over Wed) jumped 107% over the previous week, while liquor delivery service Drizly saw an 86% increase in their typical Tuesday. The growth seems to be in all segments with DoorDash reporting a 46% increase in pizza deliveries and Caviar, a premium food delivery service, seeing 115% increase in taco related orders.
This may be a precursor to the lifting of the doldrums the industry has seen since the middle of this year. Many people pointed to this contentious election as depressing the retail economy, especially full-service restaurants. If delivery is the front edge of that recovery, we are in for a terrific rebound. However, it could also mean that people are hunkering down to see what a new president’s impact on the economy will mean to them personally. Either way, the Trump era is here and we have to manage whatever bad and hopefully good that brings.
UBER'S DELIVERING DATA
Why it matters to you: Staying ahead of tech in business means staying in business.
Look out Yelp. Uber has changed the way we travel, but could it also change how we decide where to eat? Uber has unveiled its new Uber Restaurant Guide that is based entirely on trip data. And Uber has plenty of data with over a million rides on a daily basis.
There are no user reviews to sift through, and no opinions to agree or disagree with, instead, spots are organized by category and determined by the information Uber collects on drop off and pick up. Currently, the feature is only available in 12 cities. Once traditionally thought of as a transportation company, it’s clear that Uber is innovating and taking advantage of the insane amounts of data they’ve collected. How will you leverage data and technology to stay ahead?