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DID YOU KNOWS…
Amazon Restaurants Shuts Down
Amazon is closing its delivery service, Amazon Restaurants. Amazon had been hoping to be a major player in the restaurant delivery market, but was unable to overcome tough competition like Grubhub, Uber Eats and Doordash (among others). Amazon is, however, continuing to delivery food through Whole Foods.
World Cup Pay Disparity
In October 2018, FIFA announced that it was doubling total prize money at the Women's World Cup from $15 million to $30 million. With the 32 male teams at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia competing for a $400 million pot, the gender gap at the women's tournament in France is $370 million.
This Wasn’t on the Inventory Sheet
A Connecticut restaurant has temporary closed after a decomposing body began leaking through the ceiling. One of the restaurants workers stopped a cop that was nearby to check out the restaurant after a strong odor and liquid began leaking in. The officer was on scene to look into a missing person report and, with backup, climbed through the above apartment’s unlocked window where a body was found, several days decomposed. Paramedics concluded that the man died of natural causes.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
Why it matters to you: The 2020 presidential campaign is about to heat up and it’s still a year and a half away, ugh.
One real consequence of the election of President Donald Trump has been a heightened awareness of all things political. The 2020 election campaign cycle promises to further that engagement and it’s clearly well under way. With only the Democrats hosting a relevant primary campaign, focus will be on them for the next 12 months. Consequently, the upcoming debate schedule for Democrats is likely to draw significant interest in any restaurant that has a TV.
With 23+ candidates entering their primary, the Democrats have elected to add some wrinkles to their process for debate participation. To start, candidates that don’t achieve 1% in two national polls or receive donations from a minimum of 65,000 individual donors from at least 20 states will be allowed on the debate dais. There are three preliminary debates scheduled with the first on June 26-27. It’s two dates because there are so many candidates participating. They will randomly be assigned to one of the nights.
You have to believe that after 2016’s festivities, there will be even more interest in next year’s race for the White House. The primary debates will be listed on the SportsTV Guide to put a fine point on how much we believe the interest in them will be. Remember, you don’t have to take a position to provide access to the debates; just respond to what your guests want, but we sure do sense some promotional opportunities. Let us know if you are doing something fun for the Presidential election and we will be happy to share how smart you are with our audience.
[Source: Fortune]
GREAT MALL SENSE AND THE ABILITY TO ACCESSORIZE [Video]
Why it matters to you: Are problems at malls a problem for restaurants?
We have spoken much and often about the teetering state of the economy amid signs that things are about to get worse. In light of that, you won’t likely be surprised to learn that one of the biggest sore spots in our industry is the number of operators in malls that are struggling. Mall store occupancy rates have fallen to a seven-year low. Consequently, it’s not hard to understand why Red Robin is closing almost 50 underperforming stores in malls. Mall traffic has been falling far faster than that of restaurants, and brick & mortar retail is going through changes of epic proportions. Of course, this is driven primarily from on-line retailers undercutting their pricing and providing sufficient convenience that consumers stay home to shop.
Ironically, one of the few things stemming the tide for malls are the very restaurants that are being hurt by their traffic issues. One of the real challenges that malls face is the changing nature of the retailers they host. This is especially problematic for restaurants that are catering to an audience that is no longer visiting the mall to shop. Malls have been struggling for the past decade, but it appears it’s now also impacting operators, as Red Robin would likely confirm. It’s just another indicator that our economy may stumble in the near term if something doesn’t click.
[Source: Restaurant Business Online]
