BUSINESS: 5 Things to Consider When Starting Up in the Restaurant Business
It is perhaps every foodie’s dream to own a restaurant. It allows you the freedom to be your own boss, hire and lead your own team, and enjoy your passion for food and people. Owning a restaurant is a lot of work and the hours can be long -- but for many people, it’s worth it. A successful restaurant owner needs to be patient, self-motivated, have some business sense and also possess good people skills. Here are our top five things to consider when starting up a restaurant.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Krispy Kreme BOGO
For the next two weeks, Krispy Kreme is running a Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) promotion. Buy a dozen donuts and get another dozen for free. That’s a lot of tasty goodness. You do have to sign up for KK’s rewards program, however. Not a bad way of getting people to sign up.
Year of the Egg
It’s 2019, and the most popular image on Instagram is an egg. The handle @world_record_egg has roughly 40.5 million likes on Instagram, beating out Kylie Jenner’s birth announcement post. It’s an Egg’s world and nothing makes sense anymore.
Bud Light Nutrition
Ever grab a Bud Light and think “I wonder what it’s nutrition makeup is like?” Wonder no longer! Bud Light will be displaying its nutritional info on the packaging starting in February. In 2016, AB InBev, MillerCoors and Heineken all agreed to voluntarily disclose nutritional info of their products by 2020. Bud Light is the first to the finish line.
80/20 COMEBACK
Why it matters to you: The 80/20 server sidework rule is back and you need to be ready.
As if there wasn’t enough disruption associated to Department of Labor rules on tipping, a US District Court in Western Missouri has ruled that the 80/20 rule must be reinstated for all restaurant sidework. You may remember that rule asserts that no more than 20% of tip-credit compensated server’s activities can be non-service related. The original rule change, implemented by the Trump administration, was welcomed by many in the industry as it eliminated difficult and complicated arguments about what sidework and how much of it could be assigned to servers.
This is an important debate for those restaurants that rely on the tip credit to manage their service staff payroll expenses. The reinstated 80/20 rule opens to interpretation what work qualifies as service relate and what does not. We strongly encourage those of you that employ tip credit to review the work activities of all your service staff. Log their time on each task and then set a policy that clearly defines what work must be done in compliance with the 80/20 rule. This clear documentation will be a powerful way to clarify your commitment to the rule and preclude your staff from any confusion as to your compliance.
[Source: Restaurant Business Online]
WHAT’S IN YOUR DRINK?
Why it matters to you: Alcohol-free beer is growing, what does it mean to you?
There are so many new offerings in the world of beer these days, it’s hard to decipher what is hot and what is not. Most of these innovations come from small batch or artisanal brewers. So, when the major international companies point themselves in a new direction it becomes noteworthy. For example, Anheuser-Busch is now offering a non-alcoholic beer called Leffe. It’s made in Belgium, home of AB-InBev and has been doing well. They aren’t alone. With big brewers like Heineken and Pabst also offering lower or non-alcoholic beers, the trend is in full bloom.
It’s no surprise that this trend is expanding. Folks are more health conscious than ever and social beverages, like beer, are filling a demand. However, they aren’t alone. Alcohol-free beverage programs have been thriving for years and you can’t ignore the explosive potential for CBD. Not familiar with what CBD is? Check out this very easy to understand wiki on its benefits. While we aren’t suggesting you suddenly remake your beverage program, we are absolutely recommending you take steps to stay current with what your guests are demanding. And really, folks drinking less booze, but ordering more drinks sounds like a really good idea to us.
[Source: VinePair]
