The Daily Rail: 'You Need a Boyfriend' Says Restaurant

Friday, March 3, 2017

Today's Specials:

PODCAST: Bar Rescue Star Russell Davis on Restaurant Team-Building

Team-building is one of your most important jobs as a restaurant owner. That’s what Russell Davis of Bar Rescue fame wants you to take away from his interview with Eric Cacciatore, host of Restaurant Unstoppable. Learn how team building can help retain a great staff.

MARKETING: Employees Should Be Your Social Media Marketing Army

It’s difficult to get social media right. Tweets barely hold enough characters for a message. Finding interesting pictures to post can be time-consuming and exhausting. There’s gotta be a better way, right? Good news: There is.

DID YOU KNOWS…

Square OrderAhead Their Business

Square has acquired startup OverHead, a dining pickup website, and app that lets guests place take-out orders and skip the line at restaurants. Square is trying to capitalize on the grab-n-go market trend that’s been growing readily in the US.

A Delicious Traffic Jam

Seattle was hit with a monster traffic jam recently, where drivers were stranded on the freeway for 1-5 hours after a propane tanker crashed. Included in the traffic jam was the taco truck Tacos El Tajin. They opened up shop in their spot and sold food and drink to hangry and helpless drivers. Check out the fun pics and video.

#Q13FOX viewer Rachel McQuade sent us this video from NB I-5 near I-90 where traffic is stopped. A taco truck has opened for lunch! #Seattle pic.twitter.com/sJXtWBzqEm

— Tyler Slauson (@tslauson) February 27, 2017

Does Starbucks Have Unicorns Locked Up Somewhere?

Starbucks has a secret menu and on it is a pretty looking “ombre rainbow” drink, which really looks like a unicorn vomited rainbow into a cup. Sadly, it’s not that easy to make, and the SBux staff gets a bit annoyed when guests order it. But damn do they look good. Check it out!

GOT BEEF?

Why it matters to you: your guests care where your beef comes from.

Beef is the center of attention for many restaurants with questions arising like “where is your beef sourced?” or “is it grass-fed?” The larger chains like McDonald’s are testing pilot programs in the US seeking to improve the sustainability of their beef supply chain. To be more specific, they are spending $4.5 million to test new cattle-grazing practices with goals including eliminating deforestation from cattle and ethical animal treatment. Sustainable beef is a skyrocketing trend that could be making a collective push in a more eco-conscious direction. McDonald’s is the largest beef buyer in the world.  

Not all chains have seen positive publicity for their ingredients. Subway is back in the spotlight after a study claims that their chicken is only 50 percent meat. WHAT?!? Well Trent University’s Forensic DNA Laboratory conducted a DNA test on multiple Subway chicken products across several locations to find the meat allegedly was 53.6 percent chicken. The rest revealed to be processed soy, which Subway deems as “incorrect.” Regardless of the meat problem, our guests genuinely care where their meat is coming from. Therefore we need to work their needs into our food sourcing budget.

HELPING STAFF COPE

Why it matters to you: This novel approach could improve your staff’s well-being.

We don’t need to tell you your job is stressful. You already know it. High stress is pervasive in all of the roles across our industry. Often we’re too busy to hash out problems with our coworkers and are forced to let disagreements stew and fester until they become major issues. One of the world’s best restaurants, El Cellar has found a creative solution to this issue, a new addition to their staff.

Imma Puig, a psychologist and therapist, has been hired to improve teamwork morale. She sees all of the employees weekly. So far, it’s been helpful, employees have reported. Frankly, we’re excited to see this. Slowly but surely the kitchen and our industry is becoming a more hospitable working environment.

 

LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR…

Why it matters to you: Some fights aren’t worth having

Any restaurant that has residential neighbors has experienced some level of discontent and discord from them. A DC restaurant called Corduroy is engaged in a feud with the building across the alley that takes it to a new level. After the Health Department came to visit based on a complaint from a neighbor, owner, Tom Powers, posted a sign facing the apartment building that reads, “YOU NEED A BOYFRIEND.” Never mind the gender or orientation of the offended neighbor Powers thinks they should live with the consequences their apartment overlooking an alley. He claims the issues that prompted the inspection were overblown and the neighbors need to chill.

Maybe Powers is right, but so what? By engaging in this public spat and calling out his neighbors what message is he sending to his guests about how he responds to any feedback. One commenter on the article said, “Corduroy just lost at least one customer. If I something's wrong with an order, do they spit in your soup? You and your neighbor hash house should collectively go the extra mile to keep the alley in good order as a gesture of goodwill to all your neighbors and future customers, none of whom, I fear, will be me.” This comment alone is proof that winning doesn’t mean you’ve always won…just sayin’.

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