Monday, August 21, 2017
Today's Specials:
SPORTS: All Sports Are Social… And Our Web Widget Helps
For years our subscribers have had the ability, via our Web Widget, to include on their website exactly what they can show for sports. Our newest version takes that to a whole new level and allows you to easily filter your programming to be exactly what you want to publish.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Let’s Get Solar!
Today’s the day! The solar eclipse will be visible from multiple areas in the US and people are on the hunt to stake out the best place to watch. The moon will overlap the sun and cast a massive shadow for the first time since 1979. Thrillist mapped us out the best places (and times) to watch the total solar eclipse.
Disney Starts to Stream
Disney is making its move on Netflix. Disney’s CEO announced that the new ESPN service will stream 10,000 hours of live sports annually that viewers won't get from the ESPN cable channel, including MLB, NHL and Major League Soccer in addition to college sports. All services offer individual ports packages available for purchase.
Whiskey n’ Water
A new study shows that adding a little water to your whiskey will actually enhance the flavor. Researchers analyzed the molecular chemistry of whiskey and water molecules and found that they form together to make whiskey taste better, rather than dilute it. So don’t be surprised if people order whiskey with a splash of… water.
THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT
Why it matters to you: All’s fair in love and promotion
Anyone that has ever opened a restaurant has worried “if I build it will they come?” and for good reason. An empty restaurant is a place that a new guest might avoid for lack of confirmation by how busy it is. Now there’s an app that helps you fill your building as you host events, or just want to seed the bed as you open. Surkus matches events and venues with willing attendees, but there’s a catch --you’ve got to pay them to show up. The app uses its algorithm to match the right crowd to your event and the guests are paid between $5 and $40 to arrive and look like they are there organically.
We’ve all heard the term it’s just business, but is this really ok? If you run a nightclub and you want to create a new night or theme, this may be a great way to get the word out and fill your building at the same time. However, you have to wonder if it’s ethical to pay people to attend your restaurant. Of course, great promoters will tell you absolutely. PT Barnum did it and he created a world-class empire, maybe it can work for you as well.
ARE LOW-WASTE COCKTAILS THE NEXT BIG THING?
Why it matters to you: Bars have begun introducing low-waste cocktails as a means of saving money and reducing their carbon footprint.
Bars and restaurants have begun banning the use of straws in their drinks as a means to reduce their carbon footprint. Some establishments are even taking this concept to the next level to ensure their operations don’t negatively impact the environment while also saving on inventory costs. According to an article from Eater, bartenders have been getting creative as a means to decrease their trash with creating low-waste cocktails. The article examines how the cocktail industry is particularly wasteful in terms of using only parts of produce and dumping the leftovers. Two London based bartenders have introduced a global concept aimed at reducing waste and reinventing how bars use ingredients.
Their multi-city business Trash Tiki encourages bartenders all over the world to adopt techniques that they use making their anti-waste tiki cocktails. One of their main examples refers to donating egg yolks leftover from whiskey sours to kitchen staff that can use them.
Trash Tiki posts each night’s menu on social media and serves their drinks in metal cups with bamboo straws for guests to reuse. Now available in NYC, the bar’s goal isn’t to create unique cocktails, but to start a conversation about how to combat preventable waste in the cocktail industry. Some establishments are known to take skin from their lemons and limes to make a citrus stock used in their cocktails. Not only are these practices shown to save restaurants some money, but many younger guests (mainly Millennials) are statistically shown to prefer to spend their money at environmentally conscious establishments. Overall these bartenders stress that they’re not trying to make a trend but a movement within the industry.
