July 19, 2016
Today's Specials
TRAINING IN THE DIGITAL AGE [FREE Download & Stream]
The response to our most recent webinar has been incredible. With several hundred of you registered to participate, the overall presentation was a rousing success. Feedback from participants tells us the biggest takeaway was that you need to plan your approach to eLearning before you execute. That is why we offering this download today exclusively to our subscribers.
You can listen to the full 40 minute presentation or download the presentation guide and use it to insure you are ready to enter the digital training world. Either way, they are great resources to share with your team, and are ready to guide you through the eLearning implementation process. Enjoy!
THE DEMAND OF DELIVERY [Sponsored by Upserve]
Why it’s important to you: When restaurants prepare meals for their patrons and deliver it to their homes, this is what we call a win-win.
In 2013, $46 million was invested in food ordering companies. In 2014, $600 million was invested. Math doesn’t have to be your strong suit to see that jump. So why does this matter? In 2016, we as consumers have created the perfect environment for online ordering.
DID YOU KNOW…
SpaceX broke two records in it’s latest mission to the International Space Station. One, it returned an orbital rocket booster to Cape Canaveral landing pad for the second time. And two, it sent up it’s seventh rocket this year (and we’re only in July!).
YELP IS HELPING DINERS CATCH ‘EM ALL
Why it’s important to you: Seriously, everyone is on the Poke-train. Are you?
Just when you thought the Pokemon GO craze couldn’t get bigger, Yelp decided to jump into the game. The restaurant-rating supersite has added a “PokeStop” filter to it's search. So now hungry trainers can choose where to get their next meal while not sacrificing their search.
As we’ve mentioned before, some restaurants are embracing the fans’ passion for Pokemon GO by offering Pokemon meal specials, while others are purchasing lure modules to draw fans into their restaurants. There’s definitely no shortage of fun marketing opportunities for restaurants that don’t mind dipping their feet in that pool. In fact, over the weekend we swung by local creperie, Paris Creperie, which found the perfect Poke-pun for its establishment.
Great Pokemon pun by Paris Creperie. Paras is an insectoid Pokemon. [Photo by Kate Sokol]
DIVERSITY IS THE MIX. INCLUSION IS MAKING THE MIX WORK – ANDRES TAPIA
Why it’s important to you: Diversity isn’t a requirement, but it might be good business.
See this Instagram photo by @speakerryan * 6,734 likes
To be sure, Speaker of the House (SOH) Paul Ryan never expected an innocent selfie with Congressional interns to erupt into a social media frenzy. Unfortunately for him, that’s exactly what happened when he posted this pic of himself with a group of them. The complaint? There are no black, brown or Asian faces. Given the current climate around race the picture clearly struck a discordant tone, but is Ryan to blame? He is the SOH, but has only been so for a few months. The more relevant question is, “What role does diversity play in our culture at large?”
You are not required by law to hire for diversity, but some would argue it’s good for business. Given the changing demographics of our country, it at least makes sense for businesses to reflect the population at large. The good news is our industry is actually characterized by diversity, with 54% of our employees being women, 13% African-American and 17% Hispanic. In reality, we hire who is available for the positions we are filling, but can we be more mindful of diversity as we do that?
Yes, but managing diversity is more complicated than a just who you hire and that’s where it gets tricky. Depending on where you are located, diversity can be a vice or a virtue. The most important thing you can do is hire the best people for the job irrespective of their ethnicity while being aware of your community and insuring your restaurant is a positive reflection of it.
BEFORE HE CHEATS [Song]
Why it’s important to you: It appears PED’s are alive and well in sports
In separate stories, two prominent anti-doping opinions were announced yesterday. Internationally, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced its recommendation that the entire Russian Olympic Team be disqualified from the Rio Olympics. They point to a systematic approach to PED cheating sanctioned by the government and obviated by their actions at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014. WADA has no real teeth on this one and has called on the individual sports sanctioning authorities to take the action necessary to insure tainted Russian athletes aren’t competing for medals in their sports. Stay tuned and we will see how any of these agencies react this week.
Closer to home, the Nevada State Athletic Commission confirmed a two year ban from fighting levied upon former UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. He was originally accused of doping when a sample tested positive for banned substances just prior to the UFC 200 event in Las Vegas last month. He was removed from the card and after a second sample tested positive for estrogen blockers, he was hit with the two-year suspension.
The irony is that these scandals seem to have no real impact on the world of sports at large. Your guest still want to see the games no matter how real the influence of PEDs. Ultimately, these scandals are more added drama and not really that scandalous. As long as fans dig the long ball, there will likely be those that cheat to hit it!