SALES SCIENCE: How to Gamify Restaurant Sales to Motivate Staff, Boost Checks
Here's some straight science on how restaurant operators can turn their restaurant's servers into selling machines while making it fun & painless for everyone involved.
DID YOU KNOWS…
The Most Common Resolutions of 2018
As 2018 starts, many people around the world will be optimistically setting themselves New Year's resolutions. According to a YouGov poll, the most common aspirations for the coming year in the U.S. are to eat healthier, get more exercise and to save more money. Almost one third, perhaps more realistically, said that they wouldn't be bothering with any resolutions. What are your resolutions?
You will find more statistics at Statista
The Status of Soda Sales
Starting this month, San Fran joins Philly and Boulder, CO as cities that have added a tax on sweetened drinks like soda. But while people typically like the programs the “soda tax” are funding, it’s become a huge financial burden for some operators.
The 5 Best Food TV Episodes of 2017
According to Eater, 2017 was a good year for food TV. Here’s a list of their favorite food TV episodes of 2017. The good news is you can probably watch all of these eps even if you don’t have cable.
SOMETHING’S FISHY HERE
Why it matters to you: Overfishing & sustainability issues are leading to drastic increases in fish pricing.
The way the fishing industry is headed seems bleak. Depleted marine resources and increased demand have led us into dire circumstances. According to the UN, widespread overfishing has reached unsustainable levels. Essentially, the demand will exceed supply soon if we don’t do something to help. Whether it is further utilizing less sought after fish (bycatch), trying to cut down on food waste (51-63% of fish is wasted at a consumer level), or pivoting restaurant menus into using more sustainable catches, something must be done and quick. Fish prices are increasing and in order to keep it profitable changes must be made.
So where do we go from here? Many restaurants are going green in as many ways as possible. Sourcing locally and aiming for more sustainable catches are two ways to try to safe guard your business from rising prices. Farm-raised fish numbers are easier to control and keep track of and, thus, keep pricing more stable. Additionally, choosing lesser utilized catches is also a way to help cut down on the issue of overfishing. If a few changes are made by the majority, it should help stabilize the market and environment, leaving fish population levels time to normalize before it is too late.
REIMAGINE YOUR WORKFORCE
Why it matters to you: The New Year promises to be just as challenging as the last for restaurant staffing.
If you are like many of your peers, then you know it’s still a jungle out there for finding the best employees for your operation. Maybe it’s time to change your thinking instead of changing your staff. Some industry professionals are doing just that. Since the definition of insanity is doing the same things and expecting a different result, we suggest you change as much as you can.
Take Rafi Taherian from Yale Hospitality in New Haven, CT. He makes threes suggestions that can benefit any operator, regardless of concept.
He first suggests you “audition” employees to make sure they embody the attitude and interpersonal skills that will create great experiences in your restaurant. He goes on to assert that building a better work station/environment will also improve performance. Things like ergonomically designed areas and places that give comfort to staff will improve both performance and retention. And finally, he suggests that you be a better manager in 2018. By improving your own leadership skills, you deliver more value to your team and ultimately your guests. So, reimagine everything and turn 2018 into a better experience for anyone you touch.
