Monday, February 6, 2017
Today's Specials:
WATCH: We Ranked the 2017 Super Bowl Commercials
We ranked some of our favorite Super Bowl commercials from Sunday’s game. Some brands really had us laughing while others we think missed the mark. Let us know what you think!
HACK: Got a Dirty Cutting Board? [Restaurant Hacks]
Got a dirty cutting board in your restaurant's kitchen? Here's an easy way of getting those dark stains out.
DID YOU KNOWs…
And You Lived Through It
The Super Bowl is a real hit or miss type of day in our industry. So many folks watch the game at home that is generally speaking we do more takeout than any other day. That’s because we have something the rest of America craves: Chicken Wings. In fact, the Super Bowl this year prompted projections of over 1.3 Billion wings being consumed just on this one day. Now that’s a party!
Guilty By Association
This year’s Super Bowl commercials topped $5 million for a 30-second spot. Can you guess what products adults surveyed most associated with Super Bowl Commercials? Exactly. Alcoholic Beverages with 65%, topped the list, but you’ll have to click here to see if and where our industry ended up.
More Power To Them
The Daily Meal shared a list of the 50 Most Powerful People in Food for 2017. This is a comprehensive approach to the full food industry. That’s why Jeff Bezos is on this list, but very few restaurant operators. There are some interesting entries like Oprah and the New York Times Food Critic. Did they miss anyone?
“IT’S A TRAGIC SITUATION”
Why it matters to you: Bullying is a real problem in our entire society
“It’s a tragic situation,” said the attorney for a manager being accused of manslaughter in the suicide of one of her employees. Kenneth Suttner was a 17-year-old Dairy Queen employee in Missouri, who authorities claim underwent massive bullying both at work and at school. The Howard County Coroner’s inquest found that he was bullied and it contributed to his suicide. The DQ manager, Harley Branham, was said to have called him an ‘a-hole,' forced him to wash floors on his hands and knees and allegedly through a cheeseburger at him after complaining that he made it wrong.
Ms. Branham will undoubtedly get her day in court, but this story should be a cautionary tale to any of you that manage other managers. Setting aside the obvious liability associated with having managers bully your employees, this story should scare you as a human being. Knowing that one of your team was so injured by the behavior of a manager in your care should be a devastating prospect. This is fairly easy to avoid by talking to your employees and asking questions. Think of them like customer whose satisfaction you are responsible for delivering. As the saying goes, “If you don’t server the customer, serve those that do.”
PRODUCE PROVES THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
Why it matters to you: We live in a global market, and world produce prices matter
Europe’s produce market is in turmoil. It’s causing world prices to jump, and they hit a two-year high in January, up over 2%. It appears that weather patterns over the coast of Spain had created poor growing conditions, including horrific flooding on the south-eastern coast just before Christmas that took five lives. Couple this with freezing conditions across Spain and Italy and you see the reason for this price disruptions. As a result, the UK and Europe have been looking west to the US to make up the difference.
Those of you who remember Economics 101, will understand that when supply drops and demand stays the same, then prices must rise to compensate for the change in the market. That is what we are about to see worldwide when it comes to lettuce and broccoli and potentially other winter crops if the weather patterns continue. If you see an increase in prices, you will at least know the cause. So, keep your eyes on Europe’s weather for the next few weeks, because that may tell you how to plan your menu going forward.
