Monday, March 13, 2017
Today's Specials:
HACK: Protect Yourself (and Guests) from Hot Peppers
Save your kitchen staff some serious unpleasantry. Coating fingers in olive oil is a great way to help prevent the burning.
TECH: Should Apple Pay Add a Bar/Restaurant Tab Feature?
Most restaurants think their guests don't care about mobile payment, but a new poll suggests that guest would love to see Apple Pay add a restaurant & bar tab pay feature.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Hidden Secrets
Everyone loves a good logo & a good mystery. Put them together and you get the Internet buzzing. Here are 16 hidden symbols in common food logos. How many have you noticed before?
Ice Cream: The Secret Hangover Cure?
Here's a little tidbit to share with your heavier drinkers. But activated charcoal (which makes the ice cream jet black) not only is visually appealing, but it's good for your system, too. Here's more about the charcoal ice cream.
Who Said It?
When it comes to chef styles, there aren't two more contrasting characters than Guy Fieri or Thomas Keller. Well here's a fun quiz that asks you to identify who made a specific quote. Let's see how well you know these celebrity kitchen pros.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END?
Why it matters to you: As full service morphs into fast casual, will anyone be left?
We have been watching with rapt attention as several full service operators (several of whom are subscribers to The Rail) continue to explore the world of fast casual. With varying approaches and degrees of success, big chain player's like Hooter's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Red Robin and even Cheesecake Factory are testing concepts in quick service.
They are responding to shifting consumer demand as millennials who don't favor the full service experience exercise their influence. While there will always be a place for those that wish to gather to do more than grab and go, we can't deny the trend. The question is what will it mean to our industry. If we had to project, if the chains become distracted by these alternative concepts, it will be good for all the independent and small group operators. Stay focused on the best guest experience you can provide and there may just be less direct competition from those chains as they abandon the full service model.
CASUALTIES OF WAR
Why it matters to you: When you don't stay on trend you lose your job
Whether it's the aforementioned fast casual trend or operations that don't deliver on the promise of a full service guest experience, there's been a lot of seat shuffling at the top of some of America's biggest chain operators as of late. Applebee's just announce a return of their former marketing guru as President. This happened in the wake of Red Robin and Ruby Tuesday's replacing their own CEO's as full service operators continue to watch sales declines mount.
Is this the end of the bar & grill concept? Sure shifts in consumer tastes are driving fewer visits, but it doesn't mean the end. What is does signify that we have to make the experience of full service dining stand out. That is why sports continues to be a way to differentiate yourself from your competitors. That's not to say you should all convert and become sports bars, but it does mean you have to search for experiential elements that guests crave. Whether it's live trivia, music or other entertainment, it's time to ask your guests what they are seeking and then deliver it.
