Thursday, January 19, 2017
Today's Specials
TECH: Let’s Demote the Remote!
How many remotes and devices does it take to screw in a light bulb? Obviously, it takes quite a few because so many restaurant operators are still using peer-to-peer systems for their TVs. There's a better way.
LIST: Every Restaurant Stereotype According to Reddit
There are stereotypes in any industry, but the restaurant industry has its own special breed of character. Click to find out if you or someone you work closely with made the list.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Have You Tried Beer Yoga?
“Beer yoga” is exactly what it sounds like – it’s getting into yoga poses while drinking beer – and it’s gaining in popularity.
Photo courtesy of Mashable.com
Oh “Hoe” You Didn’t
File this under “fact is stranger than fiction” but a restaurant was held up by a man wielding a garden hoe. And that’s just where this story begins.
Salmon with a Side of Tapeworm
Gross. But a Japanese tapeworm has been found in American waters, infesting itself in Alaskan salmon. Double gross. Known as Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense, these suckers can grow up to 30’ long. Triple gross.
Are You Rated Smiley Face or Sad Face?
Seattle-area restaurants are getting a new food safety rating system – all with emojis. Restaurants will soon start displaying their inspection status on posters, showing an array of faces to give an “at a glance” status. Everything from a big ol’ grin for excellent to an unimpressed face for needs to improve.
WHEN CHEAP LABOR HELPS THE COMMUNITY
Why it matters to you: Because the purpose economy creates a win-win for all.
Two restaurant owners in South Park, WA are making a difference in their community. It started when an 11-year-old who was hanging around the restaurant asked for money and small jobs during the summer. What started as something small, has now stuck and even become an official program with the city of Seattle.
Now, kids can receive their food handlers permit, work a certain number of hours and get paid. The boy with whom it all started says, “It just gets my stress out when I’m mad about stuff.” But the program certainly keeps him and kids like him out of trouble and the restaurant running smoothly with cheap labor. Honestly, it’s a win-win for both the kids and the restaurant.
I’D TAP THAT
Why it matters to you: what’s the first impression your beer selection gives your guests?
When you go to a bar, the number one question is “what’s on tap.” You also can’t help but notice the tap handle of an interesting beer that you want to try. We found a fascinating video featuring the GM of AJS Tap Handles, a company that designs and produces custom tap handles and follows their production process. In total, the company has designed more than 30,000 unique tap handles for the big names like Coors and Miller, and for small microbreweries. The company’s main goal? Entice you to try an unfamiliar new beer!
The tap handle is one of the guests’ first impressions of a beer they are unfamiliar with. It’s our job to sell the beer, so having an eye-catching beer handle provides an added benefit to your restaurant’s brand. Other advantages to having an assorted selection of beer handles include the appearance of diversification that many guests value and appreciate.
BREAKING THE BEER GLASS CEILING
Why it matters to you: These women prove that the glass ceiling in our industry is waiting to be broken
As a 25 year manager of a nightclub in Boston, I had the pleasure of meeting Rhonda Kallman from Boston Beer Company for the first time in 1990. She was a pioneer then, as the woman in charge of sales for the first widely distributed craft brewer in the US. She was driven, professional and strong which is exactly what any winner in business needs to be, irrespective of gender. Rhonda was the beginning of a trend that continues today of women taking leadership roles in the craft beer world.
This long form article on Thrillist outlines the success of 11 women in the craft beer industry, specifically in Minnesota. They represent every aspect of the industry from Brewers to owners to sales people to bloggers. Each of them has a unique story, but their overall rise is in its own way unique. Even 25+ years after Rhonda Kallman broke through the glass ceiling these women are still considered anomalous. Given that pervasive vision of the craft beer professional includes a healthy beard, stout confirmation, and inked exterior, we still find the existence of women in craft beer strange. All we can say is, stop thinking like that because our industry is true meritocracy regardless of your gender and we all need to think that way to shatter any ceilings holding us back.
