September 15, 2016
Today's Special:
READ: 5 Ways to Use Music to Make More Money
The right music can help you sell more starters, coffee, food, and even alcohol! Seriously. Click below to find out how to choose the right soundtrack for your operation.
Click the image to read more...
CONTENT MARKETING FOR RESTAURANTS IN 5 EASY STEPS
The last 20 years have completely transformed the way restaurateurs communicate with guests. You only have to look back to the mid-90s to see how few options were available to get your message in front of guests. Then came the internet and everything changed.
DID YOU KNOWS...
Science Your Cheese Addiction
Ever wonder why you just can’t stop eating cheese? We haven’t; we just keep eating until we pass out. But science thinks it knows why cheese is so addicting to so many. Check out this cool video from Grubstreet explaining why.
Which Wine Pairs With My Pizza?
Ever want to drink wine with a slice of pizza but wasn’t sure what the best vintage to pair it with? Wonder no longer. Vinepair has a nifty app that pairs your pizza toppings with red or white wines.
“We’re Going Streaking!”
In case you missed it, there was a streaker at the 49ers-Rams game. And though the cameras shot away from the half-nude runner, announcer Kevin Harlan kept giving fans a lively and entertaining play-by-play of the action. Check it out here, spliced with footage shot by fans on in the stands.
DON'T DIY, UNLESS YOU HAVE TO
Why this is important to you: One of the great benefits of technology is letting someone else handle the other stuff, so you can focus on what you're good at.
CNBC reported yesterday that the app Olo has helped Taylor Gourmet, a restaurant chain in the Washington DC area grow its sales by 132%. That’s huge, especially considering the slump in sales many restaurant chains have seen this year. Patten, the chain restaurant’s owner tried offering delivery by building his own fleet. Unfortunately, orders weren’t reaching their customers in a timely manner and keeping up with the number of orders was a challenge.
Now, through the app, Patten has an effective and efficient delivery system that allows him to focus on the food and delivery times have been slashed leading to more customer satisfaction. In addition to delivering food, the app is tracking data from its users allowing Patten to somewhat predict ordering trends and stock inventory in a thoughtful way. Are you using technology for your business? If this story tells you anything, you really should be!
GOING, GOING, GONE?
Why it’s important to you: As millennials increase their buying power, the consumer preference demographic changes too.
Over the past few weeks, the news has been all bad for chain operators as they report same-store sales declines, unit closings and a general slowdown in growth as compared to the past year. There are a lot of theories floating around as to why, but little obvious evidence…that is until now. Bank of America did an analysis of debit and credit card spending in an attempt to understand why sales are so slow. What they found was spending has weakened, but more so in large chain operations versus independent and small chain groups.
Check out this infographic that clarifies the past 7 years of spending and you will see that as the recession fades, chain operators are showing sluggish sales, while indie and smaller chains have seen fairly consistent growth overall. It appears that consumers are opting away from the big chains in favor of independent concepts, or smaller chains and operators like Shake Shack, as they parse their dollars spent away from home.
Another interesting proof of this consumer trend is the way craft beer consumers have drifted away from mainstay brands like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or Yuengling, in their search for new flavors and brewing techniques. It’s a fine proof that the consumer taste profile demands a different approach and renewing and refreshing your brand as often as possible. This trend only makes being a restaurant operator more challenging, but also more rewarding as you keep evolving to stay in step with your guests and their preferences.
O’ CANADA
Why it’s important to you: 5 Reasons Hockey Fans Hate the World Cup
The World Cup of Hockey is fun. Along with the Olympics, it’s the only true best-on-best tournament on the international hockey landscape. It’s played on NHL rinks under NHL rules, so there’s less of an adjustment for the league’s fans. And it doesn’t even interrupt the season. All in all, it’s a pretty hard concept not to like. However, not liking things is what hockey fans do. It’s kind of their thing. So with the 2016 World Cup officially getting under way this weekend in Toronto, we’d better start digging for something to complain about. Click here to view the complete TV Schedule for the World Cup event.