OPERATIONS: 5 Bold Predictions for The Restaurant Industry for 2020
A decade ago, who would have known that we would be glued to the screens of computers, tablets, and smartphones. And who knew that our phones would be able to recognize our faces? Or that, at the press of a button, food could be paid for and delivered straight to our doorsteps?
The industry has changed a lot over the past 10 years, but what will the restaurant industry look like in just a couple of more years? Our crystal ball says it’ll be dominated by restaurant kiosks, voice assistants, cashless restaurants and over-inflated menu prices.
DID YOU KNOWS…
NFL Wine
Former NFL players are finding new ways of staying busy in retirement. The latest trend seems to be wine making. Dan Marino, Drew Bledsoe and other players & execs have released their own vintages over the past decade. Many are trying to keep their names/NFL careers out of the picture, however, to keep from their new ventures being labeled as gimmicks. Here’s a few of their stories.
Abolishing Daylight Savings
Across all countries, 84% of people were in favor of getting rid of daylight savings. Northern countries, like Poland and Finland, registered almost unanimous support for abolishing the practice. Southern countries, like Malta and Greece, were more ambivalent about their support or distaste for switching the clocks.
Best Among Greats
Serena Williams loss to Naomi Osaka might’ve been ripe from controversy but there’s one thing folks can’t deny – Williams is legendary. She already has the most Grand Slams by a woman tennis player in the Open Era and no doubt can open more. Here are the other top Grand Slam winners in women’s tennis.
KEEPING TABS ON THE TABS WE KEEP
Why it matters to you: A new California law will force restaurants to keep tabs on guests’ personal information or else.
As industry professionals, most of us are probably collecting data on our guests’ data in some form or another. The information can be used to make the guest experience better, for marketing efforts, or contests and giveaways. It can, however, also ruin people’s lives if our data leaks or gets hacked. California is pioneering something called the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) which is modeled after the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It applies to all “personal information” collected by nearly every business out there and failure to comply means roughly a $7.5K fine per violation. Ouch.
If you don’t live in California you don’t need to worry specifically about this law. However, this conversation should be a nice reminder to do an audit on your business and the information you’ve obtained. What info do you have? How has it been used/how do you intend to use it? Is the information kept safely and, if not, how could it be? Also, always give your guests the option to opt-in or -out of providing their information to you and give them the option to have it deleted in the future. Nobody should ever feel like their hand is forced. Bottom line is, California residents or not, we have to keep the information we collect safe and whether there are consequences for us or not.
[Source: Restaurant-Hospitality]
SAVOR THE FLAVOR
Why it matters to you: American diners are finally embracing Korean cuisine.
As the years have rolled on, Americans awareness of Korean culture has grown to the point where Korean restaurants and flavors are on the rise on menus across the country. Korean Barbecue and chicken wings were the first of their cuisine to start popping up, so it is no surprise that left Americans wanting more. The industry is now seeing Korean establishments pop up all over and Korean flavors and recipes added to menus.
Korean food is a perfect complement to American cuisine and culture. The flavors are big and bold, just like ours, and there is nothing too unfamiliar (apart from their names of dishes) to scare diners away -- though you may consider describing any new dishes to diners at first. Adding something like Korean chicken wings or bulgolgi (maybe a fusion like bulgolgi nachos) to your appetizer menu is a surefire way to give diners a safe and delicious intro into the food more and more Americans have grown to love.
[Source: Restaurant-Hospitality]
