Thursday, May 25, 2017
Today's Specials:
SOCIAL MEDIA: Why Your Social Media Images Are Driving People Crazy
People’s attention spans are short today – shorter than that of a goldfish. If you can’t get your point across in 8 seconds on social media, people will scroll right past you.
DID YOU KNOWs…
Quiz: What Type Of Wine Drinker Are You?
In honor of #NationalWineDay today, VinePair is offering to help you determine what type of wine drinker you are with their wine quiz. Even better, they also have a quiz that tells you what your wine personality resembles. Let the wine games begin.
Farming For Freedom
A new proposal could protect undocumented workers from deportation to help keep many farms operating as normal. The “blue card system” would help keep families together, and create a path to citizenship while maintaining America’s agriculture.
Is Avotoast an Epic Rip Off?
Avocado toast has exploded in popularity supposedly causing many restaurants to charge an outrageous $10-$15 for green goop on a slice of bread. A restaurateur gives an explanation of the toast trend as well as justification behind its high pricing.
STRESS ON THE JOB
Why it matters to you: Working as a server can be more stressful than working as a neurosurgeon.
It’s no secret that working as a server can be a physically taxing job, especially if it’s over a long period of time. A study has found that demanding jobs offering employees little control are among the most detrimental to mental and physical health. Often, the lifestyles that put people most at risk involve shifts with little control such as weekend brunch clopenings, or a 12-hour split shift. Analyzed by researchers at a medical university in China, the data found that waiters and waitresses have a 22 percent higher risk of stroke on average than those with low-stress jobs. The statistic jumps to 33 percent for women when the data is split by gender.
Munchies offered their insight on the issue, concluding that waiting tables may be more taxing than working as a neurosurgeon. Among other topics within the study, researchers found that enduring disruptive shift patterns often linked to poor health, while also noting that many servers may also be pushed to drink and smoke; some of which contribute to the problem. As restaurant operators, it is our job to assess whether our staff is overwhelmed and make the proper adjustments. Many establishments have begun offering benefits to restaurant workers as well as wellness retreats to help maintain physical and mental health while working in restaurants. While that’s clearly not possible in all establishment, overall the statistics around this topic should be kept on our radar for future staff and work environment purposes.
YELP CAN BOOST YOUR PR
Why it matters to you: here's how to use Yelp to your advantage.
Small businesses can sometimes suffer much more than bigger businesses as a result of negative Yelp reviews. The same goes for restaurants; whereas some ignore the review platform altogether while others are constantly checking, notifying, and responding to reviews posted on Yelp. Luckily, there are multiple strategies for understanding the Yelp review process as a means to better represent your business. Not only is it highly recommended to respond to Yelp reviews within 24 hours, but many have found it more meaningful for businesses to start a conversation with customers using direct messages or a public comment. According to Yelp’s Data Science team, Yelp users are 33% more likely to upgrade their review if you respond with a personalized message within a day.
One of the most useful strategies for using Yelp as a platform for telling your restaurant’s story through posting pictures of the business and its owners as an effort in appealing to your audience. Most often, business owners manage their Yelp page as if it’s a social media account, adding photos of happy guests, food, and staff. If all else fails, there is no rule against asking loyal customers to review your restaurant on Yelp as a positive PR boost. According to a study conducted by Nielsen, an astounding 85 percent of consumers find local business information online whereas more than 51 percent of Yelp users make their purchase decisions after visiting the site. Therefore, it is increasingly important to take advantage of any available strategies to help succeed.
