Thursday, April 27, 2017
Today's Specials:
RECORDS: Smithfield Attempts to Set a BBQ World Record at Arrowhead Stadium
National BBQ Month in May is getting an early start as Smithfield Foods looks to set the Guinness World Record for the Largest Grilling Lesson ever. And they're pulling no punches!
DID YOU KNOWs…
Pie Pie Me Oh My
Katy Perry randomly asked her 97 million fans to bake cherry pies and share their pics with her in return for a “surprise.” Que millions of fans hitting up their grandmas for baking lessons. Fans aren’t sure if the surprise is her new Guy-inspired hair cut or her new song “Bon Appetite.”
Mickey D’s Breakfast Boost
McDonald’s earnings for the first quarter are out and they outperformed expectations by quite a bit. Analysts have narrowed it down to two reasons, Big Macs are now offered in different sizes AND all day breakfast has raked in a lot of dough.
Cooking for 53 Hours Straight
An Indian chef in India has defeated the Guinness World Record for most consecutive hours cooking, tracking 53 straight hours (over 2 full days) behind the stove. He even hired a nutritionist specifically to get him in “marathon cooking shape.”
LABOR LANDSCAPE
Why it matters to you: how will you deal with the labor changes to come?
There are multiple trends that are affecting labor costs in restaurants. Restaurant Business Magazine recently examined how the restaurant industry will see changes to the labor landscape including the past, present, and future. One major trend that could drastically impact the labor landscape involves the rise of technology-oriented dining habits such as the “fast casual concept” which cuts the need for servers in most cases. Other hot topics discussed involve the country’s political climate affecting foodservice with regard to illegal immigrants, many of whom are already employed in the restaurant industry.
The most obvious factor that is altering our industry is the higher minimum wage regulations passed in many cities. Minimum wage hikes along with local regulations on overtime pay as well as paid absences both contribute to high wage expenditures which we need to account for. While it’s nearly impossible to handle all labor problems plaguing our industry at once, the article provides some best practices that can help operators navigate the tough job of hiring and keeping employees. In addition, there are multiple restaurant tech-systems built to help manage staff, business and the new changes in the labor landscape.
BIOMETRICS ON NFL ATHLETES
Why it matters to you: soon you’ll be able to get health information about NFL players to better predict their playing abilities.
The National Football League Players Association has made a deal with the wearable device company Whoop Inc. that will make football a bit more personal. The deal essentially will allow NFL players the ability to make money on providing their health data to the league. Whoop Inc. will distribute its wrist-worn straps to all NFL players to monitor their strain, recovery and sleep patterns. According to the Boston-based company, its strap’s sensors measure data 100 times per second and transmit the information to mobile and web applications for analysis. The players will own and control their own data as well as whether to sell it.
Providing this personal data about the players will help viewers to anticipate their playing ability for the upcoming season. In addition, the league and company will study the effects of sleep, scheduling, injuries and other factors on recovery in order to advance player safety and performance. If players choose to sell their data, this will also provide sports fans with an inside look at how their favorite players might perform based on their health information. Using this personal data could give football fans a preview of how well their team might do according to the players’ recovery habits. MLB is the only professional sport to have approved the use of biometric devices during actual games.
