Thursday, March 9, 2017
Today's Specials:
TECH: How inamo Restaurant Has Embraced Interactive Dining
While many restaurants avoid new technology, inamo has taken restaurant technology to an extreme to improve the guest experience. Here's more about their interactive tables & tips for implementing restaurant tech.
BUSINESS: 3 Truths Restaurants Need to Embrace
Listen, restaurants, we need to talk. We love that you meet some of our dining-out essentials — the food part, obviously. You have menus we can look at, for instance, which is important. Your locations are acceptably clean and well-lit. But there are some things we need to tell you that we hope you take to heart.
DID YOU KNOWS…
NCAA Cut Back 30 Mins
CBS Sports will cut NCAA tournament selection show from two hours to 90 minutes. The network claims the 90-minute show will lead to a tighter program that will be “crisper” and “better” for viewers.
Dangerous Diner
A Diner in Jacksonville NC is closed after a car crashed into their dining area for the second time in three years. The first time the restaurant was hit in the front entrance while the most recent accident was on the other side. TBD on whether they’ll move to a safer location.
Show Up and Eat
San Francisco-based startup ‘Allset’ brings its fast-dining app to the east coast. Diners can pre-order and pre-pay for in-restaurant meals on the app and show up without a need to wait or pay. The app’s goal is to get hungry people in and out of a restaurant in less than 30 minutes.
NYC’S RESPONSE TO A DAY WITHOUT WOMEN
Why it matters to you: Because women account for half this country’s population.
Yesterday was International Women’s Day, and women across the country stayed home with and without pay. They were also encouraged not to buy anything except small, or women-owned business. In New York City, Grubstreet reported on the many ways that the city’s restaurateurs responded to this national strike.
Many were closed in solidarity with the movement, a bold move when margins are small. Many created food and drink specials to fund causes that support women’s rights. In one of the most progressive policies reported, the owner of the Wren offered his female staff paid time off to attend the rally. We’re still a long way off from equal representation in our industry, but hopefully, yesterday’s strike will raise awareness and invoke change.
CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
Why it matters to you: Vent on social media at your own risk
Sometimes guests can be rude, both in person and after the fact on social media. Who among us hasn’t experienced an unreasonable guest who then posts on Yelp or Facebook about their “bad” experience? Such is the story of one North Carolina eatery had a horrible confrontation with a guest. Their first Sunday serving a guest made a scene at the restaurant and then subsequently posted an expletive-laden tirade about it on Facebook. The urge to respond in kind is understandable given how much of ourselves we pour into our restaurants.
Unfortunately, Dirk Rusthoven, owner of Halina’s Café, couldn’t resist and blasted the guest for their poor behavior and delivered his own vitriolic post. The moral of this story is, sometimes it’s better to swallow the pain that causes yourself more by responding. Here’s a rule of thumb: Always wait 24 hours before you respond to any post. Give yourself time to cool off and think clearly, then let express your feelings. It’s the mature way to manage it and will save you the pain that Rusthoven has experienced as backlash to his post.
WHEN REVIEWS GO WRONG
Why it matters to you: how do you treat a restaurant reviewer?
Eating food for a living sound like a great career, but every job comes with its challenges. The Guardian recently featured an article following a professional restaurant reviewer’s difficulties that come with the job. In fact, there is a vast difference between a health inspector’s job and a reviewer’s; just because the food is good doesn’t mean the kitchen is clean. Other common difficulties of the job include angry reactions from restauranteurs, quality unpredictability, the inscrutability of hygiene and simply not receiving death threats.
Although restaurants try their best, it can be infuriating for an outsider to provide criticism of their performance. It is important to keep in mind that restaurant reviewers are satisfying job requirements without the intention to sabotage the business. In most cases, there are few problems with restaurant reviews however in some cases restaurants, AND the reviewers are in for a rude awakening.
