SPORTS: Will the Alliance of American Football (AAF) Bring Success to Sports Bars?
The new Alliance of American Football league kicks off its inaugural season on February 9th, but will it bring success and business to sports bars? We look at the history of other non-NFL football leagues, what the AAF is doing differently, and the unique relationship between the NFL and AAF. We also look at how sports-themed operators can leverage the AAF to give football fans their fix now that the Super Bowl is over.
DID YOU KNOWS…
How Many Animals Do We Eat?
Across the world, billions of animals are slaughtered for meat every year. According to UN Food and Agriculture Organization data published in 2017, excluding poultry, pigs are by far the most slaughtered livestock animal. In 2014, the most recent year data is available, 1.47 billion pigs were killed for their meat.
Super Dud?
Considering that Sunday’s Super Bowl wasn’t exactly action-packed in terms of points scored, it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that it continued the negative trend in TV viewership that started in 2016. According to preliminary figures from Nielsen, CBS’ telecast of Sunday’s Patriots win averaged 98.7 million viewers, the lowest it’s been since 2008. Are football fans tired of the Patriots Invitational?
NYC Cracks Down on CBD-Laced Food & Drink
CBD is a legal, non-psychoactive chemical compound derived from the hemp plant with links to several health benefits. It doesn’t get people high like THC does. However, NYC’s Department of Health has alerted food vendors and restaurants that they can’t sell CBD-laced edibles, stating that it’s not “safe as a food additive” according to federal guidance. So far officials have asked five restaurants to end their CBD food and drink sales. We think this is just the beginning of a long change as marijuana becomes legal in more states.
KEEPING IT SIMPLE-ER
Why it matters to you: Chili’s reduced their menu size and growth broke out.
Brinker International and their flagship brand Chili’s are on the rise. We recently reported they had reduced their menu size significantly to address operational issues. It appears that these moves have worked with sales and traffic both growing at Chili’s in the fourth quarter of 2018. So, when Chili’s CEO Wyman Roberts told investors “We believe our ongoing commitment to keeping operations simple, and getting it right for every guest, will have long-term impact on bringing guests back,” he was making clear their basic strategy: Limit what you manage so you can manage it all well.
And a funny thing happened as they focus more on each guests needs -- their costs went up a bit, but so did their sales and profit. In fact, their managers bonuses were also up, which was a cost the company was happy to endure. What Chili’s is telling you is, operations are the most important aspect of your business. All the marketing in the world can’t fix a restaurant that operates poorly. This is precisely why Chili’s has invested in their staff with a 3% increase in hourly wages and by limiting their menu to assist them in executing better. Once again a big national chain has reminded us that the basics matter and we really need to listen.
[Source: FSR Magazine]
NOBODY REALLY WANTS A PET PEEVE
Why it matters to you: It’s the little things that can destroy the guest experience.
There are a multitude of ways to anger your guests. So many so, that this blog has listed 30 of them that demand your attention. While many of them don’t apply to your restaurant, at least a few do -- even if you don’t know it. In fact, what you don’t know may be the worst part of these guests’ peeves over their treatment at your restaurant. What the list helps you to avoid are self-inflicted wounds like your restaurant is too loud (17), too dark (22), or your table is wobbly (16). But it doesn’t stop there. It also references things like poorly manage recooks (21) and surly servers (19). However, some of these are not completely in your control and this is where this list is even more valuable.
Depending on your theme, children can be an annoyance (13) or a blessing and, unfortunately, there is little you can do to change the behavior of parents and their children. That being said, if it’s impacting your guest experience performance, you need to at least know that it’s a problem. The only way to really know how your guests feel is to ask. Polls, questionnaires or old fashion sit downs are a few of the ways you can get guest feedback on those things that annoy them. You have to be truly interested in improving the service experience you are delivering, but the rewards far outweigh the effort.
[Source: MSN]
