TECHNOLOGY: 9 Important Benefits of Using Digital Restaurant Menu Board Signs
As the laws and regulations change (see: menu calorie counts, etc.), the use of digital signage menu boards is growing in popularity among restaurants. They’re easy to update and make updating menus cheaper than printing out new ones. Here are nine benefits of digital menus.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Premier League Players on Target at the World Cup
Having beaten Sweden 2:0 in the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup, England qualified for the semi-finals for the first time since 1990. The success of their own team isn’t the only reason for English football fans to be proud though: after 60 of 64 matches played, the English Premier League has lived up to its name as the strongest league in world. Not only does the Premier League have the most players left in the tournament, Premier League players have also proven most dangerous in front of goal throughout the past three and a half weeks. 46 of the 157 goals scored at the World Cup so far have been scored by Premier League players, with Spain’s La Liga the only serious contender at 36 goals.
Citizenship Backlog
According to a report by the National Partnership for New Americans, there is a growing backlog of U.S. citizenship applications. Over the twelve months to FY18 Q1, the number of pending applications rose from 636 thousand to 729 thousand. This is also occurring despite a fall in the number of applications received. Our infographic pulls together figures for the states with the fastest growing backlogs and the corresponding decrease in new applications they are receiving.
French Rosé Fraud!
Might want to check your stock. Millions of bottles of “French” rosé have been discovered to be fakes containing cheaper Spanish wine. France’s consumer fraud agency confirmed the BBC report, following a two-year investigation (hey, the French take their wine seriously). Fake French wine tends to obscure the wine’s origin on the packaging, “Frenchifying” using images of the country’s flag or fictional French-looking chateaus, and using vague phrases like “Produced in France” or “Bottled in France.”
WHAT IS TIP CREDIT, REALLY?
Why it matters to you: As D.C. residents successfully voted to get rid of tipped-minimum wage and others are mull it over.
So, let’s start with the basics; what is tip credit?Tip credit is a break on wages given to any business that employs tipped workers in certain states, this credit means the businesses don’t have to pay their employees the full minimum wage. One catch with tip credit is that any operator that utilizes the tip credit must supplement each worker’s wages if their tips do not combine with their hourly rate for at least their state’s minimum wage. For many operators, this credit can be the only reason they are making anything above breaking even or losing money (see: mock budget graphs in 2nd section), so we can all imagine the drastic impact that eliminating tip credit would have.
Think of it this way: You have a restaurant that is making a slight profit and then double its annual FoH wages. That is enough to fold some restaurants on its own. We’re sure that areas using tip credit will have a fair and just vote on the matter, but the unfortunate reality is that one side will have to lose. And with that loss comes consequences. If the tip credit is removed and minimum wage is increased, then we expect many businesses to downsize, fold entirely or have to make up lost ground by raising menu prices or including service surcharges to bills. While on the other hand, if the tip credit stays then we can expect no increases on minimum waged workers for some time.
NO-POACH “AGREEMENTS”
Why it matters to you: Many restaurants utilize no-poach agreements but should any of us care?
We all know the war for talent can occasionally get a little harsh. Good help is hard to find so we understand where a “no-poach” agreement could seem very tempting. No-poaches are similar to non-competes in the office world; these agreements limit employees’ abilities to go to another restaurant in your area within a certain time period. That all sounds well and good as an operator, but should this practice be a concern?
If we are treating our employees as well as we should and value them as highly as we all claim to, then you really shouldn’t need a no-poach agreement. Sure, labor shortages can be a massive issue and we all get protective over our people, but we should go about business a more positive way than trapping our staff in toxic agreements. If we are treat employees well, then they won’t be phased by potential poaching attempts by competing businesses.
At the end of the day, we feel that we have to be somewhat selfish as business owners especially when it comes to staff. Keep ourselves as our main concern and do what is right for us. A part of that is treating staff right and keep them around and happy. Or else someone might come along and do a better job.
