OPERATIONS: Top 3 Operational Challenges for Managers & How to Overcome Them
It's tough work being a restaurant operator. You have a ton on your plate (no pun intended) and managing operations can be a doozy. Here are some of the biggest restaurant operations challenges you'll face and tips for overcoming them.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Serial Dine-and-Dasher Dodges $1,200 Whisky Bill
A 21-year-old Brit has been arrested several times recently for skipping out on paying his restaurant bills in Washington, DC. Included on his tabs: a $1,200 glass of Teeling Irish whisky, a $156 bottle of red wine, octopus and a rack of lamb. He tried billing the meals to people’s hotel rooms, including NBA player Trey Lyles. All together his dine-and-dashing amassed to roughly $2,850 (before tips).
Database for Marginalized Food Voices
Julia Turshen, author of the cookbook Feed the Resistance, has launched a database for marginalized voices in the food industry. It’s called Equity at the Table, and is filled with activists, bakers, lawyers, authors, chefs, and other food industry pros composed of women/gender-non-conforming individuals.
ESPN Inks Ivy League Deal
ESPN has signed a 10-year rights deal with Ivy League. The current plan is for ESPN to air most of the games on ESPN+ platform, the station’s new OTT platform. ESPN will air 24 games a year, starting with the 2018-2019 season.
Don’t forget to sign-up to get the SportsTV Guide, so you’ll always know when the games are on TV and stream.
VEGAN FOR PROFIT
Why it matters to you: Several restaurants have noticed a significant increase in profit since going vegan.
Now, before we begin, let us just state that nobody here at The Rail Media is, in fact, vegan. We aren’t here to preach about what you should or should not be eating. Everyone has the right to choose what they consume; we’re here to just crunch the numbers.
Recently, a popular pizzeria in Australia named Gigi Pizzeria made the change to a fully vegan eatery. There were some who were upset, of course, but reviews of the impending change were mixed. Two years after the switch, they have seen an incredible change in their bottom line. Sales are up by 27%, food costs are down by at least 10%, and their social media following has increased by a whopping 500%. Pretty incredible stuff! Forbes interviewed 17 other establishments that made the same switch to vegan-only, and all reported sales increases from 10-1,000% along with 100-15,000% increases in their social media followings.
Vegan restaurants and eateries are pretty easy to find in larger metropolis areas. If your market is already flooded or it goes against your beliefs or theme of your restaurant, we would never advocate for this type of change. However, introducing a well-made vegan menu item or two to your existing menu is almost always a good idea. Vegan burgers have been taking the Internet by storm and there’s an “impossible” burger even “bleeds” like real beef (for the reluctant vegan/vegetarian). Peoples’ diets are all over the place these days, so not offering something along these lines on your menu isn’t just shortsighted, it is a missed opportunity for profit.
DOLLARITA IS BACK
Why it matters to you: Applebee’s continues its dollar drink months amid (assumed) success.
Do you like margaritas? Do you have any dignity? What about a single dollar in your pocket? Then you are in luck! Applebee’s has brought back the “Dollarita” for the month of April. Not sold because of the viral video you saw of them being made? Well, luckily Applebee’s responded:
“We have not been able to confirm that this is an Applebee’s bartender, and the person in this video did not follow the proper preparation instructions for the Dollarita,” an Applebee’s Spokesperson told Fox News.
They also added that the recipe is one-part tequila to three-parts margarita mix on the rocks. Still seems a bit sweet to us but, hey, maybe people don’t want to black out at Applebee’s… Could have fooled us. All joking aside, even a less than stellar drink for a dollar is tempting. Especially of the “vacation drink” variety.
