GUEST EXPERIENCE: Keep Your Tabletops Tidy with a Condiment Caddy [Sponsored Hack]
Do your restaurant table tops look like a hoarder set them up? Drink menus, salt & pepper shakers, condiments, table tents, tableside tablets and a startling array of detritus all find their way on to your dining room tables. This level of clutter can actually ruin a guest experience before it even gets going. This hack is as simple as it gets: Get your stuff organized on the table.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Prosecco Fountain
A Prosecco tank at an Italian winery became a fountain after it exploded, sending 30,000 liters of the white wine gushing over the tank’s edge. Video of it was shared by L'enoteca Zanardo Giussano wine shop on its Facebook page, getting 1.2 million hits in a week. Check it here.
U.S. Favorability Falling
The following infographic shows how views of the U.S. have evolved between the end of Obama's presidency and 2018 in a selection of countries from the survey. Even though Russia has the least favorable views of the U.S. out of all countries in the survey, favorability has increased by 11% points compared with the end of Obama's stint in the White House. While Israel is another country where views of the U.S. have improved under Trump, they have deteriorated drastically in neighboring countries and in Europe.
NWHL & Twitter Team Up!
The National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) has teamed up with Twitter to present “Game of the Week” global live streams once again this season. The partnership will feature 16 regular season games, the 2019 NWHL All-Star Game and the Isobel Cup Playoffs. Be sure to keep an eye out for the updated schedule in the SportsTV Guide streaming section.
I’D DATA THAT
Why it matters to you: Learn how good data can cut costs and drive profitability.
In a recent guest post on FastCasual.com, Orderly CEO Billy Jones contributed his top seven ways data can make you more efficient and increase your bottom line. Full disclosure, Orderly has previously advertised on The Daily Rail. That being said, this is a must-read article because it soberly describes the most obvious activities an operator should engage in as pertains to collecting and acting on data results.
Chief among Jones’s assertions is improving your invoicing and inventory approach. Sure, the company’s service includes digitizing invoices and inventory control systems, but that doesn’t make it any less relevant his assertion that those are your two first moves. Knowing what’s happening with your COGS is essential to controlling costs and driving profit.
Jones continues also suggested to putting yourself on a “COGS diet” or track what your peers are doing. This article is a stark reminder that food cost management can be complicated, but not insurmountable. If you take steps to address it, you will get results. Fortunately, you have this little push to get you started.
[Source: FastCasual]
ONLINE ORDERING: WHY NOT?
Why it matters to you: Have you considered adding online ordering to your website?
The Daily Rail has been advocating that our operators improve accessibility to their business by including things like delivery and online ordering for several years now. Just like adding a catering service to your portfolio, online ordering is a simple way to improve sales and build volume. This article confirms what we already know -- online ordering increases order size. For whatever reason, consumers order more when they are left to their own designs. Maybe they don’t like feeling they’re getting a hard sale, but when they are hungry they just go for it when ordering online.
What you might not know is that online ordering also improves customer loyalty. People are creatures of habit and digital ordering makes it easy a guest to order no matter what the off-premise occasion may be for them. Additionally, offering online ordering removes the need for a dedicated carryout person on busy nights. With self-care for guests, you won’t need to interrupt hosts or bartenders with carryout orders. You can convert guests with a simple script. “Thank you for calling (restaurant name), where you can order online and pick up at your convenience” is a good example of how to train guests.
Also, promoting online ordering via your menu will help inform guests they can order their favorite items to go, online. Any method you can employ to reduce the friction of ordering and save yourself labor cost makes sense. It’s a good reason to explore the idea of online ordering if you want to build and promote your carryout (and delivery) business.
[Source: RestaurantEngine]
