September 12, 2016

Today's Specials:

READ: Use Instagram Stories to Connect & Delight Guests [Hack #67]

Are you using this hot new trend to promote the food at your restaurant?

NUDE RESTAURANT, WHAT COULD GO WRONG? [List]

Outside of nudist colonies and clothing optional resorts, dining in the buff at a restaurant is more likely to land you in jail than lead to a satisfied appetite. That’s all about to change. While the reservation numbers point to a successful, and undoubtedly daring, social dining experiment, the potential problems and mishaps that could arise are almost too plentiful to count. See our list of 10 Things Might Go Wrong at a Nude Restaurant.

DID YOU KNOWS...

IS $20 IN GROCERIES, $20 IN GROCERIES?

If you want to understand the cost of living in another country or community, simply compare what equal money will buy in not-so-equal places. These infographics compare what a crisp Tubman, uh, we mean Jackson ($20 bill for those that didn’t get the joke) will get you in various countries. Click here to view it in all its glory. By the way, we’re moving our offices to Moldova, just sayin'…

Check out more here...

ENDLESS KISS

August 15, 1945 was the day the Japanese finally surrendered to their fate from World War II. With the Emperor’s visit to the US Battleship Missouri, spontaneous bouts of celebration broke out all across America. None of those moments was better captured than the image of the nurse being swept into a jubilant sailor’s arms for a kiss. Well, on Sunday, the woman captured in that iconic photo passed away at 92 years old. Greta Zimmer Friedman and her paramour George Mendosa were captured for eternity by photographer Alfred Eisenstadt. Mrs. Friedman didn’t even know about the photo until the 60’s when she saw one of Eisenstadt’s books. Good news is that the photo endures even if the subjects fade into history.

THINGS GOT HEATED OVER THE WEEKEND

Why it’s important to you: Managing the confrontations in your kitchen can be dangerous

If you have been in our industry for any time period, you have managed a full blown “derby“ between two armed kitchen staff. Many times this happens in a language other than English, further complicating a volatile and dangerous situation. This is exactly what happened on Friday night on Long Island at the Ichiban Sushi restaurant. The two combatants, one sushi chef, and one kitchen chef, ended up being arrested and one of them hospitalized due to his non-life threatening injuries.

We deal with so much in our industry and the reality of potential disaster in our kitchens is unquestionable. The best you can do is try to see these issues before they rise to this level. It takes listening, asking and responding, but the consequences of not doing so should be sufficient incentive. It’s your job to provide everyone a safe and secure environment to work, and that starts by paying attention to what’s happening in your restaurant and between your staff.

NEVER FORGET

Why it’s important to you: How will you respond when trouble comes?

Nino Vendome’s eponymous restaurant, Nino’s, was just another neighborhood joint on the morning of September 11th, but by day’s end that would all change. They began their incredible contribution to the community minutes after the towers came down by serving relief workers at no cost and staying open 24 hours to ensure they had a safe haven from the disaster area that was the Twin Towers. At one point they were serving 7,000 meals a day and that’s a lot of pasta and meatballs.

We hear these stories consistently when things get ugly in a community, our industry seems to step up to serve. It might be because we are already social centers and it’s easy to feel responsible to your community when you are hosting them so regularly. It might also be that anyone who serves for a living is likely to be an empathetic soul and feels the natural pull to be the solution to other’s discomfort. Either way, we celebrate Nino’s contribution from 15 years ago, because they are the norm and not the exception in our industry and it makes us really proud.

WE’RE NOT FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND WE’RE HERE TO HELP

Why it’s important to you: Interactive and integrated technologies are here and they help

You’ve seen the ubiquitous TouchTunes jukebox in most every bar you visit. Digital music is a staple in the American bar scene, due in large part to the 75,000 locations that TouchTunes serves. Well, not content just to deliver great music on their jukebox devices, TouchTunes has partnered with TransitScreen to add travel guidance to their digital display panels that are built into their jukebox devices.

In Philadelphia, where the testing began, guests can see Train, subway and bus schedules right on the device screen. Even more, the system also includes Uber and Lyft wait times. This way patrons can make efficient and informed decisions about how they are getting home safely after a night revelry. The Transit Screen integration expands to 14 more cities this week. It’s just another way information can create service…and in this case, safety.