BUSINESS: Is Your Restaurant Ready for Winter?
Just like everyone else, restaurant owners need to prepare for the inevitable winter -- except your to-do list can be even longer sometimes. There's a variety of seasonal tasks you should take on to ensure your establishment is ready to serve patrons all winter long -- safely, comfortably and memorably. Let's take a look at five of the biggest ones operators need to prep for.
SPORTS: February Monthly Sports Calendar [Presented by Tyson]
February is the busiest month of the year for sports — that nobody loves. No, it’s true. It’s the heart of the NCAA basketball season and the NHL and NBA are in full swing. Add to that UEFA and the return to NASCAR and you’ve got a great month to market. If you start now, you’ll be able to take advantage of some one-time events like the Daytona 500 or the NBA All-Star Game, not to mention Super Bowl LIII.
DID YOU KNOWS…
$2 Cap & Colas
If your resolution for the new year was to drink less and save money, well, Applebee’s is gonna make it hard. For the month of January, they’re selling $2 Captain & Colas. This continues their regular theme of making popular drinks super cheap for a month as a way to drive traffic to their seats where they can then upsell with apps, meals, and other drinks.
Tribune Broadcasting Goes Dark
Last week, Tribune Broadcasting sent out a PR warning Charter Spectrum subscribers that they may lose access to Tribune channels on 1/1 if a new agreement between the two groups weren’t reached upon. No agreement came through and Tribune stations went dark in 24 markets. Tribune owns and operates 43 broadcast stations across the US, many which are affiliates of CBS, Fox and ABC who are showing the NFL Playoffs this weekend. Yipes!
Fed to the Pigs!
Pru Leith, one of the hosts of Great British Baking Show, apparently loves feeding the show leftovers to some local pigs. Her co-star Noel Fielding claims it true, at least. She stopped, however, after being warned by vets that pastries and sweets aren’t exactly great for the little porkers. But for a while they were living the dream.
BEING A BLOGGER
Why it matters to you: Follow these simple blogging best practices to grow your own great blog content.
We know a bit about writing a blog. Restaurant blogs, in particular, are good opportunities to interact with your guests in a way that feels authentic and creates a deeper connection with them. Whether your aim is to educate or entertain, the blog is where you can demonstrate your expertise to guests, share insights about your business, and tell your story. A regular blog is a powerful piece of content that you can share on your social media or promote via your email marketing. That’s why this article on the blog writing best practices is valuable.
The writer gives five basic parameters to succeed with your own restaurant blog. It starts by encouraging you to be vulnerable and honest. This is the best advice you can listen to if you want your guests to connect with your message. The author goes on to remind you that you are writing to a niche audience, so find your own niche. Thirdly, he suggests you need to write well and professionally. You can certainly attain that by asking a third party, that you trust, to edit your blog.
The article also exhorts you to include images. Either from your own kitchen or other appropriate visual content, images will absolutely upgrade the blog reading experience. You can also find content like infographics or images to comment on as a part of your blog. Or you can create a video blog (Vlog) that allows you to speak directly to your guests and even take them backstage at your restaurant. Finally, the author demands that you plan and be consistent. Since you do this daily to satisfy guest’s service expectations, it only makes sense to include it in your blog effort. Follow these basic rules and you will have a blog that will encourage existing guests to visit again and maybe even entice that elusive new guest to make an appearance at your door.
[Source: Food News Feed]
DON’T RESTRICT YOUR DIET…
Why it matters to you: Embrace a national diet trend and give your guests a real gift for their annual resolution.
Diet trends come and go, but the desire to diet (especially after the holidays) never appears to abate. Did you know that 45 million Americans begin a diet each year? That’s why so many restaurant operators have embraced current diet program momentum. For example, Chipotle has just announced they are adding three menu items that are tied directly to Whole30, Keto and Paleo diets. But is this a trend that you should be interested in emulating? We say, why not? Offering your guests products that are connected to national recognized systems just makes good sense to amplify your own marketing.
We have spoken at length about the value of national marketing connections, and diet trends are no exception. In the early 2000s, TGIFriday’s embraced the Atkins Diet and had a whole menu segment that served guests observing that program. With Chipotles move today, even the national brands confirm that national trends matter. Since these diet programs become brands of their own, it just makes sense for you to connect to them. How about you offer a couple of specials with a diet plan association. Your own Keto Salad or Paleo soup will give guests a reason to return and enjoy a meal while staying true to their diet effort. Now you are a part of the solution for guests and not the challenge to stay true to their diet.
[Source: RestaurantBusinessOnline]
