Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Today's Specials:
USER EXPERIENCE: Don't Be a Restaurant One-Night Stand
A guest ordering something that isn’t on the menu, like a pizza at an Indian restaurant, is being a jerk. But when someone orders a dish that contains something they’re allergic to, or orders a menu item expecting something completely different to arrive at their table? That’s on you.
SOCIAL MEDIA: 7 Cool Things Your Restaurant Should Be Doing on Pinterest
Pinterest is a relatively un-tapped resource when it comes to restaurant’s social media marketing. Here are seven concrete ideas you can take away for a well-rounded, creative Pinterest marketing strategy.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Would You Drink Sewage Beer?
Stone Brewing has recently debuted a beer made from what that “comes from the toilet.” The brewing company is using recycled waste water to make a new pale ale, and apparently, it tastes “delicious.” Bottoms up! Pun intended.
One in a Million Shot
During a weekend NHL game between the Avalanche and Red Wings, Avs d-man, Francois Beauchemin, attempted to clear the puck in the glass. Instead of clearing the puck, he shot it right through the camera hole in the glass, hitting a fan. Oops! Check the vid out!
How Dare the Restaurant Prepare the Food Correctly!
We love guests. They’re interesting, and they pay our bills. But boy can they be a handful some days. Here are some amusing “bad guest” stories from Thrillist.
BEATING BULLYING
Why it matters to you: Make sure you aren’t a part of the problem.
Recently we shared an article that for the first time ever there are more women than men in culinary school. This is obviously a huge win for our industry, where management and culinary positions tend to skew male. Lack of maternity leave and odd hours make it hard for working mothers in the restaurant business, but bullying might be a major contributor to the dearth of females in kitchens and leadership roles across the country.
Restaurant business online shares some great tips on both identifying and eradicating workplace harassment. The first step is defining it. They argue that management and staff should work together to define what is acceptable and what isn’t. Clear boundaries are indispensable. According to research, women tend to internalize workplace harassment rather than report it. One of the most important things a restaurant can do to support all of its workers is to create an environment where anyone feels they can bring an issue up.
SAVED BY COFFEE
Why it matters to you: your staff deserves the opportunities that will benefit both their life and the business's.
Restaurants are a great outlet to provide individuals with skills to work in and operate a business. 1951 Coffee Company located in Berkeley CA opened earlier this year and is staffed 100 percent by refugees. The California coffee shop was opened by two former International Rescue Committee workers with a goal to help refugees find sustainable work after resettling in America. Fast Company reports 1951 Coffee Company is already connecting team members with jobs at the in-house cafes at Bay area tech companies.
In addition to helping refugees in during a difficult time, the coffee house helps networks their employees with other coffee-related opportunities many of which come with great benefits packages. The restaurant industry offers a diverse range of experience that applies to countless other related environments. The ethical policy behind 1951 Coffee Company accurately and fully supports a purpose economy.
NOT ALL ARE IN THE FIGHT FOR $15
Why it matters to you: The real life concerns of your employees should matter in the race to a $15 minimum wage
The loudest voice in the room often times dominates the conversation. Such is the case with the municipalities that are implementing a path to the $15/hour minimum wage. Advocacy groups like the Restaurant Opportunity Council and the Fight for $15 have been making noise (and headway) as cities like Minneapolis and Flagstaff Arizona elevate their minimum wage to match the $15 threshold. The problem is they haven’t listened to the folks this will most impact, the rank and file restaurant server.
Along with increases in minimum wage, some states including Arizona and Minnesota are also driving the tip credit out of existence. For many servers, their entire income is predicated on tips and their complaints range from the increase will mean an overall pay cut to if I’m forced to a set wage, I won’t be sticking around. The consequences of these increases not only drive up prices, but they also force guests and management into impossible decisions. Raising prices has had the impact of lowering tips and eliminating tips will drive good servers out of business. You would think that those in charge of these minimum wage initiatives might have asked the servers of the world how they felt…apparently you’d be wrong.
