Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Today's Specials:
SPORTS: Football Weekend Preview for September 12 – 18
With the first week of the NFL under our belts and the thick of the NCAA season underway, we can fall into our rhythm for the Football Weekend Preview. The first few weeks of the NFL are always potent drivers because everyone’s teams are still relevant. Download your weekend preview for September 12-18.
DID YOU KNOWS…
The ‘Cease and Desist’ Sandwich
A South Philly restaurant made lemons out of lemonade after receiving a Cease and Desist letter for their new chicken sandwich. After hearing from the lawyers of a “certain unnamed chicken brand,” they were asked to immediately rename their “Chick Philly” sandwich. Instead, the establishment named it the Cease and Desist sandwich and wrapped it in a copy of the letter from…. Like you can’t figure it out.
Late Night Hanger
It can be frustrating when your McDonald’s order is wrong. The woman in a viral social media video knows the feeling as she’s filmed at a McDonald’s Drive-Thu fighting an employee through the window. Unfortunately, not much information was released about the video, but it’s one you don’t want to miss.
Are You Worthy of a Tip?
Tipping is not only the norm for the restaurant industry, but also for many other professions. A recent survey showed that 44% of the public think the system should be scrapped for higher wages, yet people still tip for specific services. This infographic shows which professions are most worthy of receiving a tip.
FLIRTIN’ WITH DISASTER [Song]
Why it matters to you: With hurricane season in full swing, it’s time to review your disaster plan.
In the wake of back to back super storms -- Harvey and Irma -- many restaurant operators in affected areas have shown their mettle as they quickly got back up and running. These operators have shown true proactive approaches as they navigate the consequences of roads closing, suppliers being out of operations, and the surprising demand for service. For example, John Moore, operator of Houston Trattoria chain Palazzo’s Café, said “Let’s prep like normal. And we got a crowd the night before the storm.” Moore discovered that people flock to restaurants before a hurricane because they don’t want to use up their own supplies.
When we ran a piece on a fire emergency plan last December, we beseeched you all to take the time to have a plan in order. With so many people counting on your operation for their livelihood and socializing, being prepared is a big responsibility. The faster you get back on your feet, the sooner your staff is working, and the local people affected by the disaster have a place to gather to embrace their community. So, please find some time in the next few days to outline emergency plans for any potential disasters in your market. Maybe it means buying a generator for your restaurant or improving your protection against storm damage. In any event, it falls to you; a whole lot of folks are counting on you.
HOME-COOKED TAKEOUT RISES
Why it matters to you: Services that allow amateur chefs to sell home-cooked meals could potentially hurt restaurant traffic.
Restaurants constantly run the risk of losing business to up and coming trends and the various apps that come and go with them. Most recently, a 22-year-old college student from Canada has created a restaurant-like app called Kouzina aimed at connecting diners with homemade meals from nearby kitchens. The student’s app has created a network of amateur chefs in the Toronto area looking to sell their meals from their homes. Kouzina is the latest of many other similar services to become popular within the past few years that allows home cooks to evolve themselves into small businesses.
The home cooks essentially prepare the meals in their kitchen, take photos, and post them to the app with the pricing info. From there, diners can request what they want to eat, then pick up the food from the cook’s home. Similar business ideas have hit road blocks related to health code violations from some of the kitchens and overall food quality. As of now, these home cook apps have yet to become serious competition for restaurants; however, the more like-minded businesses that pop out of the woodwork, more paths are created leading away from the restaurant industry.
