Monday, July 24, 2017
Today's Specials:
MARKETING: Does Your Website Match Your Restaurant?
As potential customers research different dining options, they should get an immediate idea what to expect from what they see online. To help your online branding achieve these goals, here are some tactics and approaches to take.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Not Bieliebers
Justin Bieber’s popular song ‘Despacito’ has been banned in Malaysia over its sexual Spanish lyrics. For those of you living under a rock, Despacito is the Spanish song played nonstop in our restaurants and has been named the most popular mainstream Spanish song since The Macarena.
State Hate
Each state has its own unique pet peeve. The Huffington Post featured a map that highlights the one thing that bothers each US state the most. What does your state hate? Mississippi’s is particularly noteworthy.
Generational Spending Patterns
There is a huge difference between the how Millennials spend their money versus their parents. This chart from Business Insider found that Millennials are spending more of their income at restaurants whereas older generations typically spend more at grocery stores.
INSTA-ADVICE
Why it matters to you: Can Instagram-friendly design make your restaurant more successful?
We live in a world ruled by social media. For years now, Instagram has been at the center of food trends and unique concepts that customers highlight on their feeds that gain traction. The movement has gone so far that now new restaurants are reconfiguring their design to ensure that their space will appear well on social media. Statistics have shown that if a restaurant appears well on Instagram, traction to the restaurant increases steadily. In recent months, Instagram has pushed restaurants to be kitschy, colorful, and irresistible to photographers. So what exactly does this entail?
The average guest takes pictures for ten minutes before ordering, and some have even brought tripods to better frame their shots. For many restaurants, Instagram-friendly designs entail spaces that are flooded with natural light and have unique patterned wallpaper or large murals that are particularly eye-catching. According to The Verge, Instagram triggers include odd styles, for example, banana-print wallpaper in the bathrooms and an exterior mural of pink flamingos. One NYC restaurant owner commented, “We literally think about framing our photographs, and how we can capture the essence of our experience within the square frame of Instagram specifically.” For many, the extra effort has paid off in the restaurant’s revenue.
OBJECT OF (UNWANTED) AFFECTION
Why it matters to you: Does your female staff feel objectified?
We have often discussed the inherent objectification of woman in our industry on The Daily Rail. It should come as no surprise that a study that looked at how this impacts women concluded they are more likely to have anxiety and eating disorders. The researchers focused on restaurants that featured women dressed in more revealing outfits in operations where they are encouraged to flirt with guests, but the truth is women experience this same objectification in a diverse array of themed operations. A contributing factor is a conflation that because they are paid for it and accept the position, they shouldn’t be surprised by the outcome.
This argument is about as accurate as saying a restaurant that accepts cash should expect to be robbed occasionally. Of course, they shouldn’t and neither should a young woman expect to be demeaned or objectified at her work, no matter what her outfit. Well, unfortunately, they do and they are, so what can we do about it. Let’s start by ensuring that WE aren’t contributing the demeaning and objectification. Whether it’s reviewing our policies about how to manage guest interactions with servers or reviewing staff uniforms, we may be able to at least mitigate the damage that can be done. While there will always be restaurants that leverage that objectification, don’t we have a minimum responsibility to reduce the damage?
