MENU: It’s Time for Crispy Fries That Really Deliver [Sponsored by Lamb Weston]
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DID YOU KNOWS…
Internet Raises $160K for Frye Restaurant
Remember that disaster of a music festival called Frye back in 2017? If not, there are Hulu & Netflix documentaries about it to catch up. The TL;dr version: It was a dumpster fire of an event and a lot of people got screwed, including the restaurant/caterer Great Exuma and its owner who had 10 people working around the clock. Despite getting screwed over by the event, the owner still had to pay its staff for the event. Yikes. The good news is the internet came to the rescue and raised more than $160,000 to help the owner out of financial trouble.
Shutdown Swill
A Connecticut company is bottling a limited-edition soda named after the governmental shutdown. Avery’s Soda has named the drink “Shutdown Swill” and the label features Trump behind a brick wall. The raspberry-orange soda is green “because it’s all about the money” and has some “extra citric acid for some bitterness.” Avery’s says the drink will be bottled for as long as the shutdown continues and promises a free bottle to federal employees who swing by their HQ.
The NFL’s New Official Pizza
The NFL has officially filled its “official pizza” slot since it’s departure with Papa John’s. The new player? Pizza Hut. Or, as the chain is temporarily calling itself, Pizza Hut Hut (get it?). Anyways, they got a bunch of deals going down to celebrate the Super Bowl. As for you, you have a couple of weeks before the big game kicks off but now’s the time to plan any specials to entice guests to watch the game at your sports bar or order takeout from your restaurant.
FRANCHISEES FOR THE WIN
Why it matters to you: Becoming a franchisee is a credible way to increase your likelihood of success in the restaurant industry.
The Daily Rail serves an enormous franchise community. We interact with dozens of concepts daily, but we may not always laud your model. We seem to speak mostly to our independents, because they are the frontline decision makers. However, our franchise community doesn’t have the same responsibilities and that may actually be a good thing. Franchises are generally more successful than independent operations. Their turnover rates are better and the business development is easier to achieve. Of course, you have to choose the right one when you are seeking to partner with some else’s business model.
It’s why our industry is a perfect franchise vertical and seen in this top 10 franchises to open in 2019 slideshow. In fact, 6 of the 10 concepts are restaurants, and 7-11 certainly at number #9 serves food. The piece also shows the criteria used to determine the list. Items like support that provides structure for training, marketing, operations and even litigation. Yes, you pay a fee, but the success rates of franchises along with their more proven systems typically eclipse those of independents. We are not advocating you suddenly convert to a franchise system. But if you are interested in growing your business, you should minimally review if a franchise agreement is your best chance for success.
[Source: Entrepreneur]
KITCHEN MANAGED
Why it matters to you: A focus on choosing the right kitchen manager is focus well spent.
The assertion that the most important position in a restaurant operation is the kitchen manager might not be a stretch for many of you to make. In a restaurant without a chef, your kitchen manager holds the exact same role as a sous chef in a more stratified restaurant organization chart. This primer on how to hire a great sous chef is totally relevant to any of you searching for your next great kitchen manager. Whether you promote internally or look outside your organization, these interview preparedness points are a path to making sure your food is managed by a professional.
Let’s be frank. If you want your food to be taken seriously, a professional kitchen manager is the difference between people trusting your menu or commenting on Yelp that it’s hit or miss. These guys are essentially AGMs that manage half of your staff’s hours and every single plate you serve. The only way to up your game is to find a candidate that understands the position. Additionally, someone with a solid work history that is qualified to run your kitchen operations will likely want to bring some of their own staff to join them. This will make your near-term BoH staffing far easier and is a wonderful bonus.
[Source: Modern Restaurant Management]
