MENU: It’s Time for Crispy Fries that Really Deliver [Sponsored by Lamb Weston]
New Crispy on Delivery fries from Lamb Weston stay crispy up to 30 minutes with the innovative fry cup. This fry cup, along with our revolutionary coating and store-to-door training, helps Crispy on Delivery fries go the extra mile. Learn more at LambWeston.com/FryExperts.
DID YOU KNOWS…
MLS Cup Final Sees Highest Viewership Since ‘97
2018 was a good year for the MLS. On top of new stars arriving, the MLS Cup Finals saw a 91% increase over last year’s final. That’s insane! Nielsen reported the final rating to be 1,563,000 viewers tuned in. The live crowd also destroyed the previous record with 73,019 people in attendance. Did your sports bar show the final or did you miss out on the action?
Holiday Parties
A new survey has found that 65% of companies plan to hold a holiday party, the lowest number since 2009 when 62% of companies held holiday festivities amid the recession and tighter budgets. This year, the economy is thriving and financial difficulties are not being blamed for the decline. According to the survey, many companies are concerned about potential liability following the #MeToo movement. Concerns about bad behavior at holiday parties are well-founded and they are often cited as an occasion where workers release pent-up stress stored throughout the year, over-indulge in alcohol, make feelings about co-workers known and, in some cases, engage in sexual harassment.
Flavors & Aromas of Popular Hops
VinePair has a fun infographic of the most popular hops profiles used in craft beer. Each hop is judged on the intensity of seven criteria – spicy, floral, fruity, citrus, herbal, earthy, and piney. Pretty cool and a must-read for your craft beer fanatics.
DELIVERY MISTAKES TO AVOID
Why it matters to you: Make your delivery customers yours and don’t share their data.
While it might sound regressive to describe “worst practices,” it makes a lot of sense to avoid mistakes as a method of succeeding. Such is the case with delivery according to this blog on Modern Restaurant Management. These four mistakes describe all the wrong moves in executing on delivery and are a great primer of how-not-to. It starts by not directing people away from your own site when they order. By controlling the data, you control the guest. Work with your delivery providers to forward your delivery orders made exclusively from your website. This not only means you own the customer’s data, but you make delivery service brands more transparent and yourself more prominent.
Additionally, don’t make an exclusive deal for delivery. In the end, the delivery company becomes the face of your business more than you. By playing the field, you also ensure you leverage all the effort these delivery companies expend to market their services and reach channels you might not have been able to access. Also, don’t assume you can’t compete with other brands, whether they are delivery specialists or another operator who offers their own delivery. If your food is good and you really want to win at delivery, then believe in your products. While heeding these warnings won’t guarantee your success, they will at least keep you from submarining your own chance to win at delivery.
[Source: ModernRestaurantManagement]
GET BUSY SELLING, OR GET BUSY DYIN’ [Video]
Why it matters to you: As traffic drops, you’ve got to sell, sell, sell.
As we have repeatedly observed, our industry is in the throughs of the weirdest recovery ever. Once again in November we say modest sales increases (1% in chain restaurants), but the traffic fell. This recovery has been slow, climbing to where we are now over an arduous three years of ups and downs. We have recently commented that the core pressure on traffic is from too much supply. Which means to say there are too damn many restaurant locations. And in fact, the current trend of sales increases with traffic drops is indicative of spending more money.
Of course, the problem is that there just aren’t enough of them to go around. For now, it’s clear we have to maximize the value of every single customer that crosses your threshold. Now is the time to brush up your staff selling skills. Whether you drive selling by gamifying it or market your business with an eye on driving guests to spend more or visit more often, it’s clear your regulars have never been more valuable. So, don’t let the crazy economic signals get you down. Focus on selling your existing guests at least equally to recruiting new ones and you just might weather the storm.
[Source: RestaurantBusinessOnline]
