Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Today's Specials:
CUSTOMERS: Don’t Force Your Customers to Play the Restaurant Waiting Game
Restaurant guests hate walking into a place and hoping that the waitlist is manageable. It's stressful for both the guest and the restaurant's staff, and costs your business a lot of cash. But there's a better way.
WATCH: The History of the Moscow Mule [Under 60 Seconds]
People have been drinking Moscow Mules for quite some time now. They offer a nice kick of flavor with an added spice, which was unique when it was first established. But how did Moscow Mules become so popular?
DID YOU KNOWS…
Yum????
Vinepair just released a post on eight peppermint cocktails to make for the winter holidays. They’re bold choices and we can’t decide if they’re amazingly delicious or amazingly disastrous. Let us know what you think!
A Heart-warming Story
Props to 4th and Olive in Long Beach for focusing their staff hiring efforts on disabled veterans. The owner, Daniel Tapia, is a former Navy man himself, as well as a quadriplegic. He says that hiring disabled vets has been a success from a business standpoint as well as jumpstarting the conversation about hiring practices for vets across Southern California.
Most Expensive Scandals of 2016
Among the biggest (financially-speaking) scandals of the year is, of course, our old friends at Chipotle. Between the E. coli/norovirus outbreaks and other lawsuits, the company lost $750 million. And they’re still struggling to bounce back. Their third quarter earnings was -15.2% from 2015. Ouch!
AFTER THE BIG BANG COMES THE NFL
Why it matters to you: Go where the guests tell you they want for TV programming
It’s no secret that NFL ratings have tanked thus far this year versus previous seasons. However, what might surprise you is how well they stack up to other regularly scheduled programming. This infographic clearly shows that Sunday Night (SNF) and Thursday Night Football (TNF) broadcasts are prominent members of the top 10 network broadcasts on a regular schedule. They are joined by the likes of Big Band Theory and NCIS ranking 3rd and 9th respectively. Even the Sunday Night NBC Pre-Kick broadcast has fared well coming in at number 7 overall.
The message is clear if you want to see it….Monday Night Football (MNF) is simply no longer relevant. In fact, until last week’s Baltimore/New England game, they hadn’t cracked 10 million viewers all season. For years MNF has dominated the sports themed operators’ consciousness when it comes to marketing programs associated with football. These results tell us, you might want to consider putting more energy into attracting guests to watch SNF and TNF given their high ratings. Also don’t forget, if you are driving traffic from a successful TV broadcast, to market your other programs to those guests present. Make the success of those football segments work for your entire business.
THE FIGHT FOR $15
Why it matters to you: This restaurant raised its minimum wage, no questions asked.
Increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour has been a hot topic in many states over the past year. The owners of the fast-growing Connecticut restaurant, Bear’s Smokehouse are taking it upon themselves to raise the minimum wage for the majority of their employees. This makes a powerful statement as the debate continues over increasing the minimum wage in Connecticut. One reason for increasing their wages is to help attract higher-caliber employees and also to share their recent successes with their hard working employees. The move to $15 is expected to help Bear's keep employees longer and cut down on training expenses. Three new Bear’s locations are projected to open and are expected to double the restaurant’s employment by this time next year.
BEST BAD RESTAURANT REVIEWS OF 2016
Why it matters to you: These are some of the restaurants that food critics weren’t very fond of.
Have you experienced a bad restaurant review in 2016? Well, you’re not alone. Eater has counted down some of the worst restaurant experiences professional critics endured this year. Some of their complaints include everything from bad service to menu sticker shock, and of course, plates and plates of overcooked, undercooked, and badly cooked food. These reviews are scathing, to say the least. If you thought you had some bad reviews this year, you probably don’t even come close!
DON’T BE DUPED
Why it matters to you: Don’t get fooled by fake news.
Recently an article on DCPosts.com claimed that an entire restaurant’s staff walked out as the President and his family walked into the establishment while on vacation in Hawaii. Two days later, snopes.com published the claim as false. DCPosts.com regularly posts fake news but doesn’t have a disclaimer on their site informing readers.
Even though the name of the supposed establishment named in the article, “Komonawannafeedya” should tip off readers to the validity of the article and its claims, after the fiasco that occurred at Comet Ping Pong and other pizzerias, it’s become clear that some people will believe anything they read. Don’t be dumb, don’t believe everything you read, and when in doubt, check snopes.com.
In today’s restaurant news: how to leverage social media influencer marketing, the restaurant industry collapses under COVID-19, how Congress has failed the restaurant industry, and more.