Friday, November 4, 2016
Today's Specials:
SURVEY/GIVE-A-WAY: Where Do You Stand with On-Demand Technology? [Poll]
Restaurant on-demand technology – like Uber Eats and Yelp -- can cover everything from real-time seating management to mobile payments to entertainment and food delivery. We want to know what you use at your eatery, and we're giving away a Bumdrum burn barrel for letting us know where you stand.
VIDEO: Mrs. Doubtfire to the Rescue [How Hollywood Sees Us]
Thanks to Robin Williams' comedic genius comes one of the most memorable restaurant-choking scenes. This instance of emergency care should have you questioning your own staff's preparedness in case of an event like this.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Spork You!
A customer is suing Popeyes after allegedly choking on his food. The plaintiff says he was unable to cut his food because he was given a spork. He said he couldn’t cut his food without a knife and had to eat with just his hands and teeth. We wonder if he’s ever tried cutting fried chicken with a plastic knife before.
The “Big Hapi”
Sam Adams is giving one final “last call” for Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. They’ve created a special, one-day brew called “Big Hapi” to honor Ortiz’s illustrious career. Sam Adams describes it as a bold mango juice-infused double IPA with more than five pounds of hops per barrel. Only 541 bottles of the special brew were made – one for each of Ortiz’s home runs.
Your Horoscope Wine Pairings for Nov.
Ever wonder what your horoscope says about your wine pairings? Wonder no longer, thanks to the folks at Vinepair. We’re Martinis over here at the Rail.
PONG WARS
Why it matters to you: Because games make drinking even more fun.
American college students love beer pong and flip cup, but what about drinking games played outside of the country? If you have a dreidel you can play “Toma Todo” which combines gambling and tequila! Tired of Kings? Try Electricity. There are a lot fewer rules to remember. For more, check out Thrillists’ complete list.
LISTEN UP LADIES, DRINK RED WINE
Why it matters to you: More benefits to drinking red wine.
At this point, we’ve all heard there’s a benefit to drinking red wine, which is all thanks to resveratrol. Now that science has had some time to study the compound, Polish researchers have found yet another benefit to having a glass of red before bed, hormone balancing! As many as one in ten women suffer from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome aka PCOS which is associated with higher levels of hormones like testosterone.
PCOS can be a pretty big deal and can cause diabetes and infertility in serious cases. Women in the study taking resveratrol saw a drop in blood testosterone levels in a short period of time as well as increased insulin sensitivity. Say no more!
IS ELECTION DAY TACO TUESDAY?
Why it matters to you: Are you doing anything to reward your guests for voting?
With the Washington Post boldly declaring that Tacos are the official food of the 2016 presidential election, it begs the question, are you doing anything to celebrate the end of this awful cycle? It appears tacos don’t stand alone with their connection to the election. Several national chains have played off the election them with various promotions. Take TGI Friday’s “Commander-in-Beef” promotion where guest choose between a NY Cheddar/Bacon Burger of NY Strip steak or Crispy Crème giving a free doughnut if you wear you voting sticker into the store. It is proof that politics and food can work together and you shouldn’t miss the momentum a cultural phenomenon like this election provide. You only have 5 days left to win your own contest and have some fun with your marketing.
CHAINS: WE ARE THE WORLD [Song]
Why it matters to you: There are conflicting opinions on the future of our industry being dominated by global chains
If you are on the road and need a bite to eat, how often do you default to a chain restaurant for convenience and to be secure in your expectations? You too! One thing is clear, that the last few years have been good for restaurants and especially chain operators. Especially, if you factor in the recession of 2008. However, the past few months have shown that nothing lasts forever as more and more chain operators shutter units or go away altogether. However, there are those that argue that global chains will continue to dominate the food industry for years to come.
They argue that rising costs, economies of scale and a more mobile population make it easy to see why chains won’t lose their position atop the industry. Of course, that doesn’t account for local search and recommendation services like Yelp removing the mystery around locating a good nearby choice. Couple that with millennials lack of enthusiasm for cookie cutter experiences and the global chain crowd still has cause for concern. Both the independent and chain operators continue to have mostly the same challenges, but the path to who dominates won’t be determined by that as much as it will by consumer preference. For now, that seems to favor less global and more local. Only time will prove who has the real winning recipe.