RECIPE: How to Make Carolina Apple Cider Wings [Sponsored Recipe]
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DID YOU KNOWS…
Nobel Peace Prize
Chef José Andrés has been nominated for a 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. If he wins, it would be the first time a chef was awarded the prize. Andrés is nominated for his humanitarian efforts across the globe, helping people hit by natural disasters over the past eight years. Earlier this year, the James Beard Foundation recognized Andrés’ efforts and named him the 2018 Humanitarian of the Year.
Fortnite Keeps Growing
Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, announced this week that its blockbuster title now has more than 200 million registered users. That’s up from just 45 million in January 2018, meaning that the global hype surrounding the game has attracted more than 150 million new players over the past 11 months.
RIP Pac-12 Network?
Earlier this week, the Pac-12 Network announced they were being dumped by AT&T U-Verse and the network doesn’t seem to be putting up a fight about it. This also means the chances of the network being picked up by DirecTV is squashed yet again. Hard to say what this’ll mean for the network in the long-term, but it’s definitely not good for Pac-12 fans trying to watch games today.
YOU THOUGHT YOU HAVE IT BAD
Why it matters to you: Don’t let your personal life ruin your professional one.
When too much success is blamed for your downfall, you have to know there is more to the story. Take Stanich’s in Portland, OR. They were crowned on Thrillist as having the best burger in America only to be closed 11 months later. For some context, Steve Stanich, owner of the eponymously named restaurant, was a hot mess long before the titled was bestowed. He had been arrested a couple times for domestic violence and reckless driving and was reneging on his divorce agreement requirements. And then came the biggest moment of his professional career.
No doubt our business is stressful and can lead to leaders who drink too much and can sometimes give into their frustration with violence. However, those are still personal choices. How many people depend on you for their living? Family, staff, vendors… the list of folks that are counting on you seems endless. Sure you work hard and are a rock star, but that can all be undone with one drunken outburst or stupid decision. In today’s world -- where mental health issues have finally become “ok” to discuss -- our industry has a long way to go in addressing our personnel problems. If nothing else, let Stanich’s story be a cautionary tale as you navigate the stresses of running a high-volume restaurant.
[Source: Willamette Week]
HOLIDAY SCHEDULES
Why it matters to you: Manage your holiday season schedule better with data
The holiday season is in full bloom and many of you are struggling (as you do every year) to determine when you should close and when you should open. The folks at Toast did an analysis of this past Thanksgiving Weekend sales in comparison to the other same-day sales of the month. It turns out that being open on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving was a pretty good idea with sales up 33% over the prior Wednesdays of the month.
Now, Thanksgiving Day was a bit of a different story. Only 30% of you opened in some form for the holiday. This may be due to the fact that only 4% of consumers were planning on visiting a restaurant on the holiday. With Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day still looming, you need to make the right call. You could do as the Black Rose in Boston did and open for the evening on Thanksgiving or the other holidays. Or you can consider your staff and determine that they deserve some time with their own families -- and you with yours. Either way, be humane in your handling of holiday scheduling and creative with your guests, so you can limit your need for staff on those day’s you do open.
[Source: Toast]
