The Daily Rail: Could Applebee's New $1 Margaritas Save Their Brand?

Monday, October 9, 2017

 

Today's Specials:

 

WATCH: Where Does the Term ‘86’ Come From? [Under 60 Seconds]

If you've worked in the restaurant industry, you've heard the slang "86" thrown around a lot. But where did the phrase come from? Why 86 and not, say, 42? We did some investigating.

 

DID YOU KNOWS…

Foot in Mouth

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is now losing sponsorships after making “sexist and disparaging” comments to a female reporter. The yogurt company Dannon announced Thursday that they have cut all ties with Newton following the statement. The player did not apologize for his comments. Take a look at the exchange here.  

 

Never Trust a Clown

Burger King has fired shots at McDonald’s with their ads running during screenings of Stephen King’s film IT. A German-based agency hilariously used the movie as an opportunity to turn the film preview into “the longest advertisement Burger King ever had.” BK’s loving IT.

 

Crispy Legwear  

The fashion industry never ceases to amaze us with their strange trends. A major Japanese shopping site has generated attention on Twitter for a pair of pants they offer that will “give you fried chicken legs.” The pants literally look like fried chicken and the internet can’t stop laughing. You can read that again.

 

“IT’S ABOUT TO GET MESSY”

Why it matters to you: Applebee’s is taking risks to remain relevant.

Applebee’s has taken a hit in recent months as they fight to remain relevant. In an effort to keep from sales and customer traction from declining, they’ve introduced a new idea in the hopes of reminding the public that they also have a thriving bar. For the next three-plus weeks, Applebee’s will be offering its margaritas for $1 each. In a statement from the company’s Vice President, the beverage promotion will show guests that their bar is “an integral part of what makes Applebee’s a great neighborhood destination.”

For decades now, Applebee’s has been the family-friendly neighborhood restaurant which doesn’t exactly attract the Millennial-based customers that nearly every restaurant is trying to attract. As a means of rebranding their image, they are looking to appeal to a younger crowd but at the same time, are trying not to move away from their current identity. A Munchies article examines how this margarita deal may just be what the company needs to survive. Either way, Applebee’s is definitely taking risks and we will soon see whether the efforts will pay off . 

 

TRANSFORMING THE TABLE WITH TABLETS

Why it matters to you: It may be time to consider a tabletop tablet.

The tabletops in most restaurants are a maze of clutter, but it appears a new arrival to the scene isn’t departing any time soon. The tabletop tablet barged into the industry a couple of years ago, promising to remake the way we serve and transact with guests. They appear to have fulfilled much of the promise, but less of the hype. The argument for tablets was that they would free servers to serve and gives guests a friction free way to re-order and cash out. The data suggests that tablets do that and more in the operations where they are entrenched.

An initial fear was that gratuities would suffer, but the convenience of a one click button for tipping seems to have eradicated that concern. In fact, tips have increased in install locations. Additionally, the awful experience of completing your meal transaction is now a thing of the past as typically 50% of guests are paying at the table on the tablet. For that reason alone, these tablets deserve their success. Waiting to pay the bill is always the worst rated part of the guest experience. Pay at the table is the perfect solution to a very hard to fix problem.

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