SOCIAL MEDIA: How to Create Compelling Visuals for Your Restaurant’s Instagram Account
How do guests decide where to eat at a restaurant they’ve never tried before? Social media word of mouth is a powerful tool that restaurants and sports bars can use to give potential customers a taste of a restaurant’s ambiance before they visit. Instagram in particular, with its focus on visuals and large community, is a boon for marketers in nearly all industries. 60% of Instagram’s two million monthly active users discover new products through the platform, and 80% of them follow at least one business on the platform as well. Here’s how to be a part of that statistic and reel in the social media savvy via Instagram.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Household Wealth
The U.S. economy is still performing strongly and Credit Suisse stated that the country is continuing to see an "unbroken spell of wealth gains." Over the past year, the U.S. has added $6 trillion to the stock of global wealth. The following infographic shows the situation in different regions around the world. Europe also increased its household wealth by 5.5%, adding $4.4 trillion in total. China also saw its wealth levels increase $2.3 trillion (4.6%) and at country level, it displaced Japan to come second in the global wealth league. Latin America was the only region that recorded a decline in wealth levels over the past year. Its household wealth declined by $415 billion or 4.9%.
The Buzzkill Party
The New York Prohibition Party has relaunched because that’s exactly what we all need in 2018. The party has been dormant for nearly 80 years and looks to “establish a lasting prohibition of the manufacture and sale of alcohol, to abolish the alcohol industry, and to establish a teetotal culture.” They have other reform ideas (some admirable) on their agenda but looking to ban booze isn’t a platform that’s going to gain much traction.
Tiger vs. Phil
If you haven’t heard, Tiger Woods and Phil Michelson are facing off in a match play in Las Vegas. Called The Match, it will air on Friday, November 23rd and is being produced by Turner Sports. However, the event is a PPV event and will cost $19.99 on PPV and B/R Live. The broadcast will also air in 4K on DirecTV, and HBO will produce a 24/7 series on The Match. For more sports TV programming schedules, be sure you’re signed up for the SportsTV Guide.
NO PROBLEM, I HAVE MY OWN
Why it matters to you: There are rule surrounding what items you can require your staff to provide for themselves.
A recently posed question to the Advice Guy, Jonathan Deutsch from RestaurantBusinessOnline asked what limits there are on employees who require staff to provide their own tools/equipment to accomplish their work. This employee was allegedly asked to provide her own cleaning materials and a vacuum for policing her section. While this may sound absurd and certainly something you would never require, it should get you thinking about what you do require and how you require it.
You must begin by making clear prior to employment exactly what you do require. So, if servers must provide their own pens and papers or their own uniform components (a specific colored shirt or an apron), then you MUST inform them before they begin working what you require of them. You can envision things like chef’s knives and shoes that are restaurant safe as normal items you expect your staff to provide. Some operators make these requirements to save money or force their staff to take better care of something, because it’s their property and not the restaurants.
Others do so because they want to give their staff a choice and ownership in their own employment. There are examples of this in your restaurant as well. Maybe you let your hosts dress more formally and use their own closet to do it. It’s up to you to balance the required with the provided in a way that respects your employees, but doesn’t overly burden your budget. This is a hallmark of a well-managed operation, IMHO.
[Source: RestaurantBusinessOnline]
WHAT IS YOUR SUPERPOWER
Why it matters to you: Identify the right person to get things done in your restaurant.
Do you love systems? You know, those ways we organize our restaurants to ensure we can efficiently get all of our tasks done. If you do, then you probably operate a restaurant that functions as a well-oiled machine. Unfortunately, many of you that have the expertise to get a restaurant idea rolling aren’t the best person in your organization to actually implement your systems.
The folks at TheRestaurantExpert believe that job is best left to the “Implementor.” Sure that sounds like Marvel Comics newest character. Can you see the costume? Chef took on her head, ladle in hand, apron emblazoned with a huge letter “I.”
Ok, yes that is ridiculous, but the premise of having a point person in your operation that is the steward of your systems makes a ton of sense. You can find this person on your team already and the blog describes their characteristics in great detail. Traits like great work ethic, embraces change, and takes action are solid ways to identify the right person. Once you know who they are, work with them to execute your systems by allowing them to be the guardian of them. This person should be tasked with reviewing all of your processes and improving them. They become a voice that you support, which doesn’t relent on the need for discipline in your application of systems. If you ever want to work with your restaurant instead of for it, this might be your only path. Especially, if you don’t have any superpowers…just sayin’.
[Source: TheRestaurantExpert]
