MARKETING: How Restaurants Can Attract & Host Amazing Alumni Group Events
There’s a reason why seemingly every classic TV show from the 1980s has been rebooted in recent years. Nostalgia is a powerful drug. Whatever it is that forces us to see the past through rose-colored glasses, its effect is undeniable. And no reminiscence is stronger than that of those yearning for their college years. When adults get a chance to reunite and recreate their early 20s it can represent a windfall to your bottom line. How, then, do you get alumni groups in the door? The key is two-fold: connect with college alumni groups and host events – such as college sports “viewing parties” — for those groups.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Does the Premiere League Have a Gambling Problem?
If you've watched a Premier League game on TV over the last few years you will have undoubtedly been met with such phrases as “bet in play now,” “latest live odds” or “£50 free bet” during the game. As the result of a new agreement between the UK's gambling companies though, this kind of advertising is now due to be banned. Still, the center of a teams' jersey remains prime advertising real estate. This season, almost half of all English top-flight clubs are sponsored by a company in the gambling industry. This compares to 20% in Spain's La Liga, only 5% in Italy's Serie A and none in Germany or France.
Jailed Family
Excluding extended family, nearly half of all people living in the U.S. have experienced incarceration in their immediate family. 27.5% have had a sibling incarcerated while 18.4% have had a parent locked up. 13.5% have had a spouse or co-parent jailed while just over 12.2% have had a child imprisoned. The study found that 113 million U.S. adults have had an immediate family member do jail time while 6.5 million said a loved one was in jail or prison at the time of research.
Consumer Support
Coming out or against any social movement can be a bit of a minefield for businesses, restaurants included. Based on Morning Consult's survey, about 60% of consumers would find a brand more favorable if they advocated for civil rights, while only about 30% consumers would find a brand more favorable if they supported stricter policies preventing abortion.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PASSION AND BEING PASSIONATE
Why it matters to you: Not everyone with a love of food belongs in our business.
We all know someone that changed industries to work in a restaurant to “follow their passion.” Too often our industry is some sort of fairy tale that other people think we live. That’s why this piece on BusinessInsider describes why it’s passionate people -- not people with a passion for food -- that succeed in our business. Let’s face it, everyone who watches a cooking show can learn how to make a few recipes that convince them they are destined to rule in the biz. But to truly succeed in our line of work you have to be a passionate person. It’s passion that carries you when you are working a close-open. It’s passion that allows you to still feel a thrill when you’re running a great shift at volume.
For those that would try our business and not be prepared for what makes us special, beware. Any fairy tale version of a restaurant operator’s life can be dispelled by one shift in the real. Let the weekend baker wake up every morning at 3am, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. Let him/her have two staff members call in sick on a weekend morning. Let them control labor, negotiate supply chain pricing and deliver exemplary customer service….then maybe they will understand what it’s like to turn a vocation into a job. Either way, we’ve all met that person and they almost never really last.
[Source: BusinessInsider]
IT’S OK, SOMEONE IS WATCHING
Why it matters to you: Are cameras the security fix you are looking for?
We live in a surveillance society. Cameras are everywhere now. Mostly because they are cheap and their capabilities broad. There is an interesting discussion to be had, whether they are a good idea for restaurant operators. These five reasons why security cameras are critical make some compelling arguments about monitoring internal theft and providing necessary documentation when you catch someone misbehaving. However, they don’t cover the ethics of cameras and how to implement them in your operation. There are plenty of stories about cameras placed inappropriately in a bathroom or staff changing area -- you should at least consider your approach.
Compelling you towards cameras are statistics like these from the Statistic Brain Research Institute. U.S. businesses lost 7% of their sales to fraud in 2015 and 75% of employees have stolen from their employer. Sure you have to balance revelatory data like that against how you implement cameras, if that is your choice. Let’s start by NEVER putting a camera anywhere other than coverage to protect your assets. This means cameras where money is handled, inventory is stored, and at entrances and egresses. While we think you shouldn’t reveal the locations of your cameras, we do believe you have an ethical responsibility to publish the fact that you do have them in place. With today’s stealth camera designs you can place them and folks will not necessarily know they are cameras. This way you are ethical in your approach and still protected by the content the cameras capture.
[Source: FSRMagazine]
