Friday, August 18, 2017
Today's Specials:
TECH: Does It Make Sense to Use CRM for Restaurants
Many restaurants and bars are boosting the bottom line with CRM software that is customizable to their needs and their guests’ wants. Here’s an overview of CRM for restaurants that will assist you in determining if this competitive step is right for you at this time.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Workplace Demands
A new report has found that many US employees find their jobs both physically and emotionally taxing. This infographic shows an overview of the level of physical activity many employees endure in the workplace and how often. Can you guess which is the most common?
When Your Waiter Is a Nazi
After the tragic Charlottesville protests, neo-Nazis have become terrifyingly prevalent. A restaurant in Minneapolis recently fired their diner workers after a photo surfaced on Facebook of them posing in Nazi uniforms. The restaurant has made a statement calling the image “severely troubling” and has stated they will not tolerate it.
Pizza + Running = Victory
If you love pizza and running long distances, then NYC is calling your name. The NYC Pizza run takes participants on a three mile run where at each checkpoint, they must eat slices of pizza before continuing. The race takes place on Sept 17 in Manhattan with all proceeds going to Juvenile Diabetes research.
HEY ALEXA, ARE WE THERE YET?
Why it matters to you: Access to data on demand is the future of your kitchen.
Goodness knows you’re busy and can use all the help you can get. So, let us introduce you to Alexa for the restaurant world. Dickey's Barbecue Pit franchise is working with iOLAP to build Alexa access to all of their data and metrics. Alexa is the voice activated digital assistant that many people have for their homes, and now it can be used to support you during your operations. By tying all your data together and connecting Alexa to it, you can have instant voice triggered access to all the relevant info about your restaurant.
Imagine a busy Saturday night, and you aren’t sure how many orders of a specific product remain. “Alexa, how many 12oz sirloins do we have left?” Her reply, “I’ll check…there are five 12oz sirloin steaks remaining in inventory!” Now, the expo can inform the team, set a countdown and avoid bumming out a guest with an order that can’t be fulfilled. There is no shortage of situations that voice activated access to your data could ease. What questions would you ask or task would you assign, if you have Alexa as your personal assistant on the line? Let us know, and we’ll see if they work.
CUSTOMERS RUN THE CAFÉ
Why it matters to you: Loyal customers at a NY coffee shop ran the business for a day so the staff could have a break.
Many coffee shops are known to be open every day and usually stay opened into the late afternoon. Local cafes usually have a limited number of employees but a large range of regulars that adore the establishment and the team running it. Manhattan’s Buunni Coffee, known for its unique Ethiopian coffees and its authentic food, has been open for five years now and has got people talking. As an added thank you to their hard working staff, the owners decided to treat them to a beach day. The plan was intended for the coffee shop to close down for the day to give the staff a much-needed break when their customers stepped in to help. The Buunni regulars actually ran the business while the staff was at the beach for them to stay open.
To generate interest, the loyal coffee drinkers posted a Google doc asking people to volunteer for hourly shifts for the eight hours. The Google doc was eventually removed because too many people signed up to volunteer. In return for their volunteer work, each fill-in received a gift card as an added thank you for their support. This is an amazing example of how loyal customers can rally behind an establishment that takes care of them each day. This café has made a clear stamp on many individuals to generate such a loyal following. The owners say they like to make this “an annual thing” as an added benefit for their staff.
Hero Image Courtesy of cnet.com