August 30, 2016
Today's Special
CITIZENS OF THE RAIL POLL: EMAIL MARKETING
Email marketing remains the most efficient, cost effective and successful form of social media marketing available to restaurant operators. When it burst onto the scene in the late ‘90s, it promised instant access to interested consumers and it hasn’t stopped delivering on that promise since. In today’s poll, we want to know about where you stand with email, how you use it and what your results are like.
Please, take a minute and share with us so we can report back on the status of email in our community.
FOOTBALL WEEKEND PREVIEW FOR SEPTEMBER 3-4 [Schedule]
NCAA Football Week 1 is upon us -- finally! With that, we are resuming our weekly delivery of the Football Preview. This schedule lists all the available live games both on regular broadcast TV and streaming on the Internet. Click here to get your schedule.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Jason Mamoa Loves His Guinness
Actor Jason Mamoa (Stargate: Atlantis, Game of Thrones, Justice League) loves Guinness. Like, for reals. His Instagram feed is full of pics and videos of him rock climbing and chugging Guinness. He and his beer soulmate have teamed up to create his very own brew -- “Mano Brew.” It’s Guinness’s first sour beer and it sounds pretty amazing.
See this Instagram photo by @prideofgypsies * 73.3k likes
See this Instagram photo by @prideofgypsies * 50.8k likes
Dash-and-Diner Leaves One Star Review
Talking about having gall. A dash-and-diner left a less than stellar review of a British restaurant. Unfortunately for the reviewer, the details left about the reviewer’s meal matched that of a recent dash-and-diner and the owner let him have it. Sweet, sweet revenge!
Drinks to Your Health?
The National Institute of Health (NIH) is spending just under $1 million to study the drinking habits of lesbian couples. Specifically, the study (conducted by Old Dominion University) wants to know if stresses makes them drink too much. Lesbians involved will fill out daily diaries about their romantic relationships to determine what causes them to drink… or something.
THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
Why it’s important to you: Guest perception is reality and that’s why not re-using pre-meal offerings should be your rule.
A Michigan Mexican restaurant is in hot water for what some claim to be a common practice in our industry. Su Casa Mexican of South Haven, MI was outed for the practice of re-using the chips and salsa that “didn’t appear” to have been touched. Now, at The Rail, we are all for re-gifting, but we strongly encourage you to make sure the original packaging is still intact. Really the owner, Edgar Suarez, was incredulous when he heard from the Van Buren County Health Department that re-using food that has already been served to a guest isn’t acceptable protocol.
The irony was he was outed by the mother of a 16-year-old former employee. The young girl was a busser who gave her notice as soon as she saw the practice of re-using the chips and salsa. Her mom then posted the fact on Facebook, prompting the Health Department investigation.
Nobody appreciates the pressure to perform on inventory or to make a profit than we do, but there just has to be a better way to get there. Suarez is now directing his staff to ask guests if they want the pre-meal treat before delivering, thus reducing his waste and maintaining some semblance of sanitation. That is how you respond to your need to manage profit, not by putting people at risk for your convenience. You have to wonder if he will serve the buffet from another party at this year’s staff holiday party.
LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE [Song]
Why it’s important to you: You just can’t trust what you read on the Internets!
Did you know that Megyn Kelly was fired from Fox News because she is a secret Hillary Clinton supporter? You may, if you read your news on Facebook. Unfortunately, if you do, then you were duped by a fake story, just as Facebook was just three days after they removed human editors from their newsfeed. You may remember in March Gizmodo uncovered some ugly truths about Facebook’s editing style that has many conservatives angry. In response, the social media platform substituted an algorithm (computer intelligence) for human editing. Well, how’s that working out for them?
The fake story was so hot it actually trended higher than Beyonce’s stirring performance on the VMA’s and Anthony Weiner’s latest stupidity. The truth is we all have a responsibility to filter our own news, read with skepticism anything posted on the Internet (except by The Rail, of course) and be better informed. So, if you are still angry with Megyn for her defection to the Clinton camp, have heart, cuz it just ain’t true.