Friday, February 24, 2017
Today's Specials:
VIDEO: Ratatouille Shows the Joy of Creating Meals [How Hollywood Sees Us]
We have featured Ratatouille previously on How Hollywood Sees Us, but it never gets old. In this scene, Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) is compelled to fix the mistakes being made by his human friend, Linguini (voiced by Ray Romano).
INFOGRAPHIC: Order Up! Technology in the Restaurant Industry
Think you know how your guests and competitors use technology? Think again. We’re serving up a hot plate on how modern tech is being used to in the modern day restaurant.
DID YOU KNOWS…
One Reservation for ‘No Show’
An Australian reservation service creates a blacklist of people that have failed to cancel their reservations. Owners can then refuse to make them reservations for up to a year after. No-shows cause the Australian restaurant industry nearly $57 million a year.
Social Media in 2017
If you’re considering where to spend your advertising dollars in the upcoming year, social media marketing has remained a top priority for brands in 2017. According to this infographic, 56% of marketing professionals plan to increase their social media spending in the upcoming year.
Exploring the Land Down Under
A new Australian Instagram account has been generating quite a bit of attention recently. Getnakedaustralia shares pics of nude Australians and has acquired almost 90k followers. The IG account features both male and female ‘Aussies’ in their element. Australia, meet Belfie.
NEW ADMINISTRATION, NEW RULES
Why it matters to you: New guidelines released by the Dept. of Homeland Security demand your attention.
Any new administration will flex its muscles a bit during their first 100 days and President Trump is no exception. Already reeling from their so-called “Muslim ban” the administration is now ready to take on immigration issues with the publication of a sweeping set of orders to direct the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to identify, capture and quickly deport every undocumented immigrant they encounter.
This is a departure from candidate Trump’s assertion he would focus on criminal behavior by undocumented workers. Secretary Kelly’s memo’s calls for wide-ranging changes like adding 10,000 enforcement agents, expansion of the existing border wall on the Mexican frontier and the immediate detention of any individuals caught without documentation or entering the US illegally. We have been warning that these policy decisions will begin to pinch our industry first. Whether it’s migrant workers in farm settings or cooks, dishwashers and bussers, labor is going to become very tight as this policy progresses to implementation. As if we needed more pressure on our labor pool.
RESTAURANT MANAGER ICED
Why it matters to you: undocumented workers may be facing a difficult time in the near future.
Immigration has been a hot talking point in recent months and especially with regard to the restaurant industry. One case in particular in a Frankfort IL, a restaurant manager was detained by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in Missouri after he was arrested earlier in the month. The manager has reportedly been living in the US for 20 years illegally to help make money for his sick sister in Mexico. Although his wife and children are US citizens, he has been waiting for over nine years, while managing a local Frankfort restaurant.
This restaurant manager has been known to be extremely generous with giving back to the community and befriending local customers. Many of the restaurant’s guests are now rallying in support of his release. City leaders and neighbors have stepped in to write character letters in support of his release, totaling to over 75. Overall, regardless of the immigration policies in place, the restaurant industry is very strong and resilient when dealing with political issues. In this case, an entire community has rallied in support of one of their beloved team members.
TWO REACTIONS, ONE PROTEST
Why it matters to you: Sometimes being right doesn’t make you right.
There isn’t a restaurant in this country that thinks a “no call, no show” is acceptable from an employee. So when the ‘Day Without Immigrants’ protest attracted 12 employees from the I Don’t Care Bar & Grill in Catoosa, Oklahoma the owner promptly fired them all…via text. While the way he did it was lousy, he was absolutely within his rights to do so. However, who was he really hurting? One would think by losing 12 people was more punishment for him than his employees. In fact, that wasn’t the only punishment he endured. His restaurant’s Yelp presence was flooded with 1 Star reviews and ugly images in retaliation for his decision.
It should make you wonder if there aren’t times when you may want to look at the big picture. And in fact, many restaurant operators did. Take the Tria restaurant group in Philadelphia that offered limited service to patrons on Thursday and donated $1 per order to a group supporting immigration help for restaurant employees. Even the famous Berghoff restaurant in Chicago chimed in with a supportive tweet that read, “In support of our Berghoff Family & Friends, the restaurant will be closed on Thursday 2/16/17 #DayWithoutImmigrants”. How did you feel about the protest and did you discipline any staff for not showing for work that day?
