Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Today's Specials:
SPORTS: We Told You So! Internet Streaming is Important
Many of you blew up our support line this weekend because you thought we missed an important European football game on the Sunday Guide. Turns out that we didn’t make a mistake, you did, by not being able to show live streaming sports at your place. Let us explain the why and how.
DID YOU KNOWs…
Starbucks Sued
A Florida woman has won $100,000 in a lawsuit against Starbucks over a hot coffee spill. A jury in Florida has found Starbucks at fault for serving 190-degree coffee with faulty lids, causing her to get severe burns from a coffee spill. Sometimes it’s okay to cry over spilled coffee.
Bacon Camp
Bacon lovers are flocking to Ann Arbor Michigan starting May 31 to celebrate the Camp Bacon Food Film Festival that showcases short documentaries. Following the film festival will be a street fair, music, and a bacon ball with traditional Cajun pig roast. Bring on the bacon!
Cinco Drink Mayo
Americans notoriously go all-out for Cinco De Mayo. Luckily for us, VinePair showed us exactly which cities drank the most and least on Cinco De Mayo with their infographic. Any guesses?
LAWSUIT PENDING
Why it matters to you: restaurants can sue over bad reviews.
Recall last week we discussed the controversial Yelp reviews made by a dean at Yale College. On a related note, one restaurant in Kent, England has filed a lawsuit over what it claims is “an unfair assessment” of their restaurant. A TripAdvisor reviewer named Sarah had a negative experience at a Kent restaurant and left a relatively tame review. Since then, the restaurant has sued Sarah for a “defamatory and therefore unlawful” review and is seeking tens of thousands of pounds in lost business. She has also been told she could face jail time if she does not comply with the order. The majority of the reviews of the restaurant are positive, but the restaurant has reportedly used similar lawsuits in the past to clear up negative TripAdvisor reviews.
Quite often do we deal with negative reviews some accurate and some not, meanwhile none usually getting this messy. Technically, restaurants have the right to sue people for leaving a bad review, but at the same time, patrons have the right to post that review. Last December, Congress passed the Consumer Review Freedom Act, which allows customers to post truthful negative reviews. However, that act can’t prevent a business from suing if they deem the review defamatory or untrue. Some restaurants do take the time to file lawsuits over bad reviews however it does take time, money, and effort. All of which are things you need to be investing in the business instead of fighting unwanted battles. Sarah’s lawsuit is currently pending.
NRA HELPS WITH HIRING
Why it matters to you: NRA is helping restaurants deal with labor issues.
The National Restaurant Association has introduced a major new initiative last week, aimed to attract, train, and retain talent for the restaurant industry. The national association has partnered with the U.S Department of Labor to help restauranteurs obtain qualified staff members to help them succeed with their business. The NRA program is described as a “career pathways model” that will take potential restaurant workers on a journey on how to obtain restaurant jobs that align with their individual skills and interests as well as how to qualify for them. In addition to helping the labor shortage in restaurants, the NRA is also working directly with the Labor Department to create a hospitality-focused apprenticeship program.
Restaurants have been experiencing quite a difficult time with attracting and keeping skilled staff members due to a variety of reasons. In an effort to providing support to this problem, the NRA is launching multiple new ventures to combat the labor shortage. Providing the right guidance will help many establishments fill jobs that also encourage working their way up within the business. With prominent issues including the minimum wage changes, work conditions and tipping controversies restaurants are in need of extra support and the NRA is looking to help improve the current conditions.
