June 10, 2016
Today's Specials
How Hollywood Sees Us: Educating your guests (Big Night)
Most of the time, our guests are amazing, but we all know they can sometimes be a little… difficult. Sometime it’s our fault for screwing up but other times it’s because their expectations don't meet the experience we're presenting. When that happens, it's up to us to lead them to a positive end. Here’s a scene from Bight Night to prove the point.
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND
In today’s day, where cult of personality is more powerful than character and celebrity trumps integrity, is it any surprise that people are scalping tickets to Muhammad Ali’s memorial service in Louisville today? Ali specified before his death that his funeral service be free and open to the public. The family of the original GOAT (greatest of all time) is outraged and referring anyone that sells their tickets in an online forum to the authorities. While we are sorry you have left us Champ, we are glad you don’t have to see this for yourself.
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Why it’s important to you: It could be a wealth of great employees; it could be a sign the economy is tanking
Guess how much consumer spending represents in the US economy? About 69.5% or roughly $10 trillion. So when companies like Macy’s, Nordstrom and Walmart lay off staff it sends shiver down the economist’s spine. The real question is, what does it mean to you? A few things to start. It may not be a sign of an economy not rising, but one that is maturing with use of online ordering. As likely, it’s the end for retail stores…think Amazon.
It may also mean some highly skilled folks are looking for work. This could be an enormous boost in our war for talent. Now more than ever, anyone with direct to consumer service experience can be a valuable player on your team. With new technologies that can jump start the training of a smart candidate, you aren’t limited to just young people you can grow to build your bench or people trained by another operator. E-learning can take a capable, but inexperienced staff member and quickly get them ready for revenue. Here comes the shameless plug for our webinar on Training in the Digital Age. Let us show you how to implement systems that will make training faster, stronger & better.
POUR ME A ANOTHER ONE [Song]
Why it’s important to you: Any advantage that using the right glassware delivers is fair game
When you’re out with your friends, do you check out the glassware at other bars? Wow, what a great martini glass or cool rocks glasses. Well, a recent study released by the University of Bristol in England, revealed that glass formats influence consumption decisions by guests. It was found that if the glass was larger, guests consumed more even though the pour remained the same. It actually went up 9.4%. The supposition is that the larger glasses change guest perception of the amount of wine, leading them to drink faster and order more.
Another study also showed a connection between differing the size of beer glasses and faster drinking. The studies prove what you already knew...glassware is expensive, but it absolutely matters.
ONE MORE CUP OF COFFEE BEFORE I GO
Why it’s important to you: Gift cards are smart business
You all know the feeling in January… you have a full dining room, but they are all paying with gift cards. It appears Starbucks has that feeling all year long, only, they really like it. Their incredibly successful prepaid Starbucks Cards and their mobile app have amassed $1.2 billion in cash waiting to be spent in their stores. With that much cash in hand, their prepaid program makes them bigger than many banks and makes them about 10% the size of PayPal (the most massive cash transactions business on the planet, BTW). Do you need more proof that programs like prepaid loyalty cards work?
OK, then here you go. By store, Starbucks has over $50,000 on reserve. Yes, it’s Starbucks and their brand is super recognizable, but your guests know your brand and trust it. Your gift cards can operate in an identical manner and should be promoted year round. If for no other reason than it gives you a cash reserve if you need a boost or a bailout. So, build loyalty and hoard some cash. If you don’t have an electronic gift card program, get one. They work and are great for cash flow.
TODAY IN eSPORTS
Russia makes eSports a real sport
The Russian Ministry of Sports has officially recognized eSports as a sport. What does this mean? For starters, all eSports events in Russia will be held under the supervision of the Ministry of Sports and Russian eSport competitors can earn certain title based on their skill. Titles like “International Master of Sports.” We want to put that on our resume!
Valencia CF gets in the game
Valencia CF becomes the first club in Spain’s La Liga to enter the world of competitive gaming. The soccer club signed it’s own eSports team recently. This will give the team wider visibility among gamer fans. It may also set up potential for a feeder system similar to how Valencia recruits and builds talent for it’s soccer club. Valencia clearly sees big money in competitive gaming. eSports is pulling in hundreds of millions of Euros in Europe, according to Engadget, so the team is trying to claim their slice of the pie. We wonder how long before US teams and corporations do the same.
Level up your brain
Adults get a power boost in brain power by playing video games, a new study finds. The study, which pulled data from 20 separate studies, found that playing action video games improved overall cognitive abilities. Researchers explained that players build strong hand-eye coordination and that paying attention to multiple targets at once and in-game problem solving help keep your mind sharp. It may even change your brain on a structural level, they said.
INFOGRAPHIC: Euro 2016 Host Cities
Euro 2016 is kicking off this evening in France and Romania, and this year's event is the biggest European Championship to date, with 24 teams competing over 51 games.
Here's a great infographic on France's host cities and stadium capacity. The Stade de France is the biggest venue in the championship this year, with a capacity of 80,000. Meanwhile the Stade Municipal in Toulouse is just 33,000.
If you haven't yet, download our SportsTV Guide: Euro2016 schedules for free, so you know exactly when these games are airing and on what channels. Your guests won't want to miss it.
