MARKETING: How to Attract the Nightlife Scene to Your Restaurant
The sun goes down, the kids go to bed, and the adults get ready to hit the streets. Whether it’s to hang out with old friends, meet new people, grab a drink, or have a good time after a stressful week, people love to party. The question is: how do you get these people to come to your bar, restaurant, or club? It’s not enough to just serve good food and drinks, you need to entice people to think that your place is the place to be.
DID YOU KNOWS…
New Federal Standards for High Chairs
In June, the CSPC approved new federal standards for child high chair seating and they’re going into effect in June 2019. This doesn’t mean you necessary need to get new high chairs, but you should look into whether or not your current seating will be compliant with the new regulations. Between January 2011 and September 2017, there were 1,842 reported incidents related to high chairs, including 271 injuries and two fatalities.
Are Memes Making Teens Fat?
Spoiler: No. But some “academics” in the UK have told British lawmakers that Internet memes may be contributing to the UK obesity crisis. The examples the academics presented in seriousness are actually hilarious if you understand youth culture & meme humor. But to be safe, you should read the nutrition info of memes before consuming as they have hidden calories and are high in sugar… or something. *rolls eyes*
Squirrel Brain Death
A US man died from a rare and fatal disease after eating squirrel brains. Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease is a rare brain disorder caused by misfolding brain proteins called prions. When one misfolds, it cascades to the other proteins, leading to memory less, dementia, other psychological issues and eventually death. It’s also highly contagious, but only if you’re a cannibal. Anyways, this was the first known CJD death in the US, so no reason to worry too much. Might want to ease off the squirrel meat for a while, though.
SERIOUSLY CLEAN, CLEAN SERIOUSLY
Why it matters to you: According to a recent survey, 85% consider cleanliness equal to food quality when choosing a restaurant.
That’s a sobering statistic, 85%. That means almost everyone that is entering your restaurant is assessing your hygiene effort and judging your place on their observations. This survey done by P&G Professional found that almost a quarter of folks have left a restaurant because they perceived it to be dirty. In fact, almost a third of them have left a negative online review based on their disappointment about the hygiene of a restaurant. While these numbers are serious, we wonder how seriously some operators actually take them.
The one thing these survey results demonstrate is that your guests are watching and judging everything you do. Consequently, you need to take seriously sanitation in your restaurant. Walk your building from entrance to dumpster and take an honest look. Seeing what you see, would you eat at your own joint? That may sound like an impossible question, but it just takes a moment of empathy. The bottom line is, if you don’t self-critique, your guests will share theirs online.
[Source: The Independent]
BIG BEEF
Why it matters to you: How much do you know about antibiotics us in meat production?
The use of antibiotics in livestock operations has been going on since the 1950s when it was discovered antibiotics promoted growth with less feed. We can be confident those folks 60+ years ago didn’t realize they might be blunting or even eliminating the effectiveness of all medically necessary antibiotics in the process -- but they did. Now there is incredible pressure on meat users like burger chains to reduce or eliminate the use of antibiotics in the growth process. In fact only two chains have completely eliminated the use of antibiotics treated meats -- Shake Shack and BurgerFi.
McDonald’s has announced antibiotic free chicken at their restaurants, but are still trying to address the same issue with their burgers. What we do know for sure is that consumers are willing to pay a premium for products that promise no antibiotics in their growth. This means if you source antibiotic-free meat for your hamburgers you can charge a premium to cover the additional cost of goods sold. In fact, it becomes a great marketing tool. Food provenance has taken on a new importance as Millennials continue to increase their influence in the market. Maybe it’s time for you to lead and go antibiotic-free with your food. Your guests will love hearing about it and it won’t detract from profit.
[Source: RestaurantBusinessOnline]
