TECHNOLOGY: Out with the Old, In with the Cash Flow [Presented by Orderly]
The phrase "if it's not broken, don't fix it" shouldn't apply to your restaurant. Many of your favorite "tried and true" processes and technologies can actually slow you down while slashing your revenue in half. In the last few years, new processes and technologies have come about that make your life a whole lot easier - and save you money, too. So, go ahead and burn your spreadsheets. Because sticking to the status quo is killing your business.
DID YOU KNOWS…
The Global Rise of Bike-Sharing
In recent years, bike-sharing services, especially so-called free-floating ones, where users can just park their bike wherever their ride ends, have seen a steep increase in popularity. Public-use bicycles are especially popular in China, where they help reduce congestion and pollution in the country’s huge metro areas. As our chart illustrates, the number of public-use bicycles available around the world has more than tripled between 2013 and 2016.
By Chloe Sues ESquared
Chloe Coscarelli, the founder of the vegan By Chloe chain, filed a lawsuit against current parent company ESquared Hospitality LLC with trademark infringement and other code violations. Coscarelli was expulsed as partner last year, a forced exit she attributes to rejecting sexual advances from ESquared CEO James Haber. Yikes.
RIP Color Rush
The NFL is dropping its Color Rush uniforms this season, so if that was your main attraction to Thursday Night Football then… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The reason, according to sources, they were nothing more than a “gimmick” (you don’t say!) and that wouldn’t be needed to entice fans since TNF will have a stronger schedule of games this time.
GOOD THING THIS EXISTS
Why it matters to you: It certainly shouldn’t…
For this week’s installment of “Why the hell does this exist?”, we bring you: color changing gin. Now, we are quite certain that nobody asked for this. This also has to be something for people in the UK because gin is wildly unpopular in the US. Couple it with the fact that the gimmick seems like something for 18 year olds (who can legally drink there). Oooooh it turns from light yellow to light pink! Groundbreaking. In fact, in a poll of the most popular and best-selling liquor in the US, gin didn’t even break into the top 15. This is a gin marketed to non-old people that seems to be eager to strive for virility. This product would fly onto the shelves (and stay there) in the States. Good luck getting an American college kid to drink something even slightly complex on the palate instead of shotgunning cheap beers at night.
Any hope of gin becoming the new trendy booze over here? We’d say it is a safe bet that no, it will not, especially considering the poll we mentioned earlier. Something about the pine-y flavor and lack of versatility doesn’t lend itself too well to the American palate or bar scene. Regardless of what we say, Britain can have fun with their gin drinks and we will stick to more classic/less pretentious combinations ourselves. We will say though: at least it isn’t glitter beer or foam art on the head of their pint. America definitely has the UK beat in the more outlandishly dumb “trends.” Cheers guys. Enjoy?
OMG THE MALL
Why it matters to you: Studies are showing one of the main draws to every mall is their food options.
How many times have you and your friends said something almost exactly along the lines of “Nah, let’s go to the other mall they have that good ______ restaurant…?” We know we have. So it should come as no surprise when a new report is showing that 40% of consumers today will choose a mall to visit primarily based on the restaurants that are located there. More interesting, this means actual restaurants and not fast food. Not only that, younger diner are shunning the fast food options in lieu of newer brands like Sweetgreen and the like. People are craving the more genuine experiences that only a legitimate restaurant can provide. It’s something diners aren’t going to get from the food court from America’s past. The better the food and the experience, the more likely diners are going to be to spend time in a mall. The last thing they’d want is for people to leave the grounds for their meal!
By this logic and the new study, it certainly sounds like restaurants are the backbone of every mall throughout the country. Are we saying to start eyeing up real estate for your next location in the local mall? Not really. Would it be the worst idea ever? Absolutely not, though with online shopping killing retail all over the world, the mall might not have the longevity we once thought it would.
