BUSINESS: Why Restaurant Operators Should Be Furious with the Department of Labor
The Department of Labor's rollback of an Obama-era tip-pooling policy seemed to quell the no-tipping debate, but it's been revealed that the DoL withheld an unfavorable report on the impacts of the new policy. Restaurant operators and their staff should be pissed.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Stiffed & Fired
A Florida woman is definitely having a bad week. After a local Christ Fellowship Church stiffed her a tip on a $735 takeout order, she took to social media to vent. A friend went to talk to the Church about the tip, but when the waitress returned to work the next day, the Church was given a full refund and she was out of a job. Ouch.
You Are What You Eat
Olympic gold medalist Shaun White surprised a PyeongChang restaurant owner by showing up to the restaurant and eating his namesake. The Flying Tomato is named after White’s nickname is priced at a hefty $920. The restaurant owner was beyond delighted about the encounter.
The Super Bowl in VR
Verizon streamed the Super Bowl in virtual reality on a 5G connection but only 20 people got to view it. And they had to take turns. Verizon used their employees to test the tech for a “stress test” and were pleased with the end results. The VR gave the employees a 180 degree view of the game.
GO FOR THE GOLD
Why it matters to you: With PyeongChang in full swing, restaurants are amping up promotional deals.
Need to watch the curling event but you also have a craving for wings? Restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings were hoping that’s the case and are running a promotion where guests can have their wings dusted with “Wing Bling” to celebrate the 2018 Winter Olympics. Wing Bling is a gold flake you can have sprinkled on top of any sauce to, we assume, make you feel more festive during the games.
Promotions such as this are a great way to drive up word-of-mouth along with editorial support and coverage during big events like the Olympics. Nothing like 10 crispy buffalo wings, a beer, and your favorite event on 100 TVs.
BWW aren’t alone in their promotions during the games; lots of restaurants are also trying to capture the marketing gold in their own ways. McDonalds has been a marquee sponsor of the games since 1968, feeding spectators and athletes alike with pop-up and traditional restaurants in every city since the partnership. Other restaurants will host “beer Olympics”, make themed cocktails, host dance parties, and do all other types of things to drum up business during these times. It really is a no-brainer, are you taking advantage of your opportunities?
LEGAL DRUG DEALING GETS CUT IN HALF
Why it matters to you: Oxycontin maker Purdue is ceasing to market opioid drugs to doctors.
Today in “finally they did something right” news we have the drug manufacturer Purdue announcing that they’ve laid off 50% of their sales staff and are no longer promoting the opiates they make to physicians. This decision came approximately 22 years too late as the company first released/marketed the drug beginning in 1996 and we have been in the wake of a national crisis ever since. These drugs being legally manufactured, prescribed, and sold for so long is insane, but any forward progress will ultimately save lives. The DEA reduced the amount of opioid drugs that could be manufactured by 25% in 2016 which helped a little.
With Purdue taking these new steps, hopefully lives will be saved. However, the fact that they are even still manufacturing the pills still means people can get their hands on them somehow. Next to weed, opioids are the second most popular drug in the US, so the crisis may never fully disappear. So, hopefully with these steps, improving the help which addicts have readily available to them, and with some time we can make it out on the other side of this all.
