SPORTS: Is Your Sports Bar Ready for the 2019 Women’s World Cup? [Schedule Download]
The 2019 FIFA World Cup France is here and it promises to be a fantastic tournament. Both the US and Canadian teams are dynamite and are heavy favorites to go deep into the tournament. In fact, since the first women’s World Cup Soccer event in 1991, the US has won three of them and is absolutely among the favorites again in 2019. Download the group play schedule here!
DID YOU KNOWS…
9 Restaurant Tech Innovations
We all know that the right technology can make our jobs easier. But not every invention is worth investing in. Here are nine restaurant tech innovations to keep an eye on – including “Butler” buttons, tableside payment sans-tablet, pathogen detectors, and more!
Cars Still Dominate US Commute
According to Statista’s Global Consumer Survey, 86% of American commuters use their own car to move between home and work, making it by far the most popular way of commuting. Only 10% of the 1,681 respondents use public transportation and merely 5% take the bike.
The Financial Mismatch of European Cup Soccer
Domestic rivals Arsenal and Chelsea will square off in the final of the UEFA Europa League on Wednesday. The second all-English final in the competition's history will kick off at 21:00 CET in Baku, Azerbaijan. A fact that has led to plenty of controversy in the lead-up to the match. While both teams will be desperate to beat their local rival at the European stage, the Europa League trophy is often considered the consolation prize in European football, clearly playing second fiddle to the UEFA Champions League.
THE FIRST TO GO
Why it matters to you: Why restaurants are hit by an economic downturn first.
All signs are pointing to full-service restaurants beginning to a contract as traffic continues to decline (down .8% in April) and sales growth begins to slow (off almost .5% as well). We hate to bear bad news, but every operator must be realistic as to what the economic conditions mean in a declining market. We are in no way suggesting you overreact or that the sky is falling, just simply that the indicators are pointing to a slowdown in our industry. That’s bad news for more than just our industry, because we are usually slower at the tip of a recession. We are the frontline where consumer spending actually happens, so we are the first to see when consumers start to pull back their spending.
Now the most recent consumer confidence index was pretty high, up 4.9 points. That’s the number that tells us how likely folks will continue to open their wallets for the extra things they want. As things get tighter, folks will eliminate extra spending on food first, because they can replace it easily and more cheaply than dining out. Hence how we know about those downturns before the rest of the economy starts to show signs of pulling back. We just want you to be thoughtful as you plan your next 12-24 months. This is especially true with another Presidential cycle upon us. Consequently, we urge caution to all of our operators as you navigate the changes that will invariable hit our industry first.
[Source: Restaurant Business Online]
THE LETTER [Song]
Why it matters to you: The Social Security Administration (SSA) is sending you notice if your staff’s SSN’s aren’t believed to be valid.
In increased enforcement, the SSA sent almost 600k “no-match” letters to employers across the US called Employee Correction Requests. These notify you of a mis-matched social security number between your and the SSA’s records. This isn’t necessarily evidence that an employee is not eligible for work, but it is the first step into an investigation of the accuracy of your records that could prove the same. If you have received one of these letters, which haven’t been seen in these numbers since the ‘90s, then it can lead to further scrutiny including an Immigration and Customs Enforcement I-9 audit.
We have long encouraged you to do your own administrative audits. This terrific primer on managing a “no-match” letter from Modern Restaurant Management gives you all the insight you need to address this issue before it turns into something that causes you pain. And let’s be straight, President Trump made clear that immigration enforcement, both border and employment, was going to increase under his administration. This is certain proof he meant to deliver on that promise. Don’t be caught unaware and take a good hard look at your own staff. If you even suspect something, now is the time to act, rather than having that decision taken from you by an organization like ICE.
[Source: Modern Restaurant Management]
