Thursday, October 19, 2017

Today's Specials:

BUSINESS: The Inventory Field Guide: 7 Practical Tips for the Modern Restauranteur [Sponsored by Orderly]

With this handy Inventory Field Guide from Orderly, you’ve got a list of seven pro tips that will take your restaurant inventory management to the next level. Isn’t that what every busy restaurant owner wants?

DID YOU KNOWS…

“The Worst Injury I’ve Seen”

Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward fractured his ankle in a gruesome fall during their NBA season opener. Hayward joined the Celtics in July in a deal worth $128 million and now his recovery is to be determined. You can see the totally gross video here. Warning: It’s totally gross.

Pray4Hayward🙏☘

That’s Not Your Chicken!

A popular Long Beach restaurant has received some serious complaints on Yelp for “proudly” serving Popeyes chicken as their own. The restaurant later admitted to “outsourcing” their fried chicken directly from a Popeyes franchise. Both owners stated that they have no plans to change and want to begin a partnership with their beloved Popeyes.

Why You’re Seeing #MeToo

The #MeToo hashtag has exploded on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram this week following the recent sexual harassment controversies in Hollywood. Women and some men have begun using the hashtag #MeToo to come forward with their experience of sexual abuse or harassment. Fortune took a social media poll on just how the #MeToo hashtag went so viral.

DO YOU ACCEPT VENMO?

Why it matters to you: You may see Venmo as a payment option in restaurants very soon.

Mobile pay has become an expanding concept in the restaurant industry that has operators bending over backwards to accommodate. Yesterday, PayPal has announced that its mobile payment service, Venmo, will now be available at over two million online U.S. retailers nationwide. Similar to PayPal, purchases made with Venmo will qualify for purchase protection, will allow customers a full refund based on contingencies, and do not require a credit or debit card present in the transaction. This move gives online shoppers a direct path to Millennial shoppers who are well acquainted with Venmo.

Restaurant operators should be watching these types of deals as they could predict the direction that the industry is headed. For years now, we’ve discussed how mobile ordering and mobile pay in restaurants has become a staple and doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. The Venmo checkout options works exclusively on the mobile web and not on desktop which serves as another reminder where our customers are looking to be reached. It might not be soon before restaurants begin accepting Venmo as a way of payment as there were $3.8 billion in transactions within their last year.

LEAD “LIKE A BOSS”

Why it matters to you: There are plenty of ways to lead, find yours.

Leadership is one of the lost skills in our industry. Let’s be honest, most times we put folks in positions of leadership because they are willing to endure the time commitment and physical demands of the position. However, too often, they simply aren’t prepared to be a leader. It takes a certain energy, patience, and discipline to lead others and it doesn’t always come naturally. That is why it’s incumbent on you to train your supervisors how to lead. Being a “boss” just isn’t enough. Leaders need to prove to their staff that they are worthy of trust and commitment.

There is no shortage of resources available to prepare your prospective managers for leadership. Start slowly by giving them specific tasks to accomplish that requires they get the assent of your team. Monitor their progress and get feedback from the team on their performance. It’s also crucial that you model the best behavior of a leader yourself so your supervisors learn your leadership values by your example.

In the end, everyone on your team is a reflection of you in some way or another. So, make sure you’re the type leader you would follow yourself and then impress on your management team your values.