BUSINESS: How to Prepare for a Restaurant Conference
No matter if you’re running a family restaurant, bakery or sports bar, attending industry conferences is immensely important for your business. For starters, you will learn about the latest trends in your niche and can stay on top of a changing industry landscape. It’s also an amazing opportunity for owners to network with and establish partnerships with vendors, guests, and other owners, and position yourself as a credible player in the restaurant industry. That’s why you need to be prepared before you hit the conference floor.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Is Your Third-Party Delivery Collecting Taxes?
DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Postmates are apparently not collecting sales tax on delivery fees in some states and that could end up being a big problem. The sales tax in question are fees that can amount as much as a third of the total price of food orders – or at least $120 million per year of taxable dollars in California and New York alone. And legal experts say this could be a problem for the delivery companies but also the restaurants as both may be on the hook for unpaid taxes. It’s an example of current laws not designed for the gig-economy, and could mean big lawsuits and more regulations for the industry.
OESC Slashes Growth Forecast
The OECD expects the world economy to grow by 2.9% this year, down from its May 2019 estimate of 3.2% and from 3.5% growth in 2018. This would be the lowest level of economic expansion since the end of the financial crisis, and possibly the trough of the current slowdown, although the OECD expects economic growth to remain subdued through 2020 and 2021.
SEC vs CBS Showdown?
The SEC on CBS rights package has a deal running through 2023-24, but we’re already seeing some jostling for negotiation positioning. CBS has carried SEC since 1996 and signed their most recent deal in 2008. However, the current deal is seen as an absolute steal for CBS, and the value will go way up come negotiating time. On top of that, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey says the league has a “good faith obligation” to offer into negotiating period with CBS but doesn’t believe CBS has any “first refusal rights.”
CAUTION: WET FLOOR SIGNS CAN BE DANGEROUS
Why it matters to you: Consider staff security in your redesign, or else.
The security of your staff matters. That’s what a Chicago McDonald’s is finding out when their employees filed suit about a store redesign that employees claim makes it easier for a customer to leap over a counter and attack them. The suit alleges that McDonald's has failed to protect them from a pattern of violence that includes being threatened with guns, beaten with a wet-floor sign, having kitchen equipment thrown at them by a naked customer, being pepper-sprayed, and even urinated on, according to the complaint. You don’t need to have too much empathy to say those circumstances sound terrible and anything the operator can do to mitigate this risk should be done. However, the employees claim the new store layout -- called the “Experience of the Future” by McDonald’s -- only exacerbates this already horrible situation.
But here’s the problem: the company has plans to remodel 9,000 stores, almost two-thirds of their locations with this new more open format design. The suit claims that the new design features split and lowered counters, creating easy access for customers seeking to harm employees on the other side. So, what should McDonald’s do? Scrap a $6 billion revamp of their locations? Well, um…maybe. Consider that if they don’t address these employee concerns for their safety, they will further liable if something tragic does happen. While the desire to protect employees can be balanced with a desire to optimize design, it can’t come at the expense of security. One would think a company with the resources and scale of McDonald’s could walk that tightrope without someone getting hit with a wet-floor sign…just sayin’.
[Source: Yahoo]
POSITIVE ID
Why it matters to you: Age verification continues to be a challenge for operators to solve.
Checking identification is a serious headache for busy restaurant operators. There are many methods available to verify the age of guests visiting your establishment. Whether you diligently train door staff and servers or use modern technology, this effort takes time and distracts from other priorities that everyone prefers to address. For example, I was in a bar last weekend and the bartender exclaimed with relief ,“The owner works on Saturday’s to verify the ID’s so I can focus on serving my guests.” This relief wasn’t because she didn’t appreciate the value of the effort, only an acknowledgement that this effort is onerous and even a bit thankless.
Thankless because no one enjoys a confrontation with a guest. Especially a post adolescent with a fake ID that gets indignant that you won’t accept their Ontario Library Card with a different face than theirs on the front. This is an ongoing challenge for many operators, but you can reduce the obstacles by implementing a little process. This blog on Nightclub & Bar advises you start with setting standards that your team can follow. It also reviews the technology that might assist with your effort. But as our bartender friend told us, that takes a significant time commitment. Ultimately, it comes down to training no matter what solution you employ, but doesn’t it always?
[Source: Nightclub & Bar]
