MARKETING: How to Establish a Stronger Online Presence in 2020
In today’s digitally-driven world, it is imperative that your restaurant not only exists in the physical world but has a strong standing in the online world too. No doubt, your guests are online, and it only makes sense that your restaurant should be too. And establishing a stronger digital presence is one way to promote your restaurant, as well as attract and retain customers. Here are some ways to grow your online presence to increase customer loyalty and business success.
DID YOU KNOWS…
New Overtime Rules Go Into Effect
It’s 2020 and that means the new federal regulations for overtime pay are in effect. A third of US employees have become eligible for OT pay, and the restaurant industry isn’t excused from the table. Be sure to download our overtime regulations handbook to learn the new rules and see if you should keep employees hourly or move to salary.
The Most Admired Men & Women
Gallup has been asking the U.S. public to name the men and women they admire the most around the world every year since 1948. In 2019, Barack Obama and Donald Trump were tied as the most admired man with 18%. Gallup states that historically, it has been more common for a former first lady to be named the most admired woman than for a former president to be named the most admired man. In 2019, Michelle Obama was the most admired woman in the U.S. with 10% while Melania Trump came second with just 5%.
Combating Drynuary
Between the December holidays and New Years Eve, December can be quite the heavy alcohol month. It also means that many make January into a booze-free month. “Dry January” aka Drynuary, was a trend that started in the UK and US in the 2010s, and it’s put added stress to restaurants and bars that depend on those booze sales. In the UK, bars & restaurants are trying to combat Drynuary with Tryanuary, a month-long promotion challenging consumers to try out new bars and restaurants while promoting moderation in alcohol.
E-BIKE BAN GOES ON
Why it matters to you: Many cities are grappling with scooters and e-bikes; now it is NYC’s turn.
The Governor of New York has vetoed a bill that would have allowed e-bikes to operate in the state. Governor Cuomo continued the ban which covers both e-bikes and scooters because he felt key points were left out of the legislation to allow them. This includes basic safety requirements like helmets. Now, if you’ve been in any major American city in the past few years, you have seen these scooters and powered bikes popping up all over the place. Many of you have even ridden one out of curiosity or convenience, but likely you have also seen them strewn about, littering sidewalks with toppled scooters and abandoned bikes.
The problem is that an alternate consequence of banning them is that they are a terrific tool for restaurant delivery in crowded urban settings. By putting drivers on them, delivery operators have been able to reduce their service times. This is all well and good, until you are cut off by one or have one almost hit you as you cross the street. As a result, more than 1100 summonses have been issued to folks just trying to make a living. This intersection of public safety and business convenience is always a tough place for operators to reside. Cities have been grappling with this problem since the scooter revolution began a few years ago. Mark this as one more statutory fight we need to keep an eye on in 2020.
[Source: GrubStreet]
YOU MADE THAT UP
Why it matters to you: The latest incident with cops and restaurants takes an ugly turn.
Another day, another story about employees of a restaurant operator treating a police officer with disrespect -- or so we thought. Turns out a report out of Kanas that described a local police officer receiving a coffee with the words “F’ing Pig” written on them were false. The officer that reported the incident has admitted to making it and consequently the department has terminated him. The incident allegedly occurred at a McDonald’s in Junction City Kansas. Fortunately for the operator of this McDonald’s they had cameras posted throughout their location and were able to demonstrate that the incident never happened.
This forced the Chief of the Herington Police Department, Brian Hornaday, to retract his earlier statement about the incident. Turns out the officer who made the claim was new to the department and thought it was a prank. He has subsequently been let go by the chief, who also apologized for the incident. There are two lessons from this incident that should be abundantly clear. First, having cameras in your restaurant can be an invaluable method to determining the truth of a claim made about your location. Second, the cops appear to have the same problem with irresponsible behavior by their staff as we do. While the first should give you comfort, the second should not.
[Source: The Daily Beast]
