MARKETING: Sports Bars Need to Look Beyond the NFL to Win Over Guests, Fans
While the AFC and NFC Championship games saw tens of millions of fans watch, the NFL is losing popularity with each younger generation. In fact, while 33% of all US adults say the NFL is their favorite league, that drops to 23% with Gen Z. There is, however, growing interest in the NBA, NHL, and MLS among Gen Z. But even then, non-traditional sports like eSports is still more culturally relevant to the young generation than traditional sports. Sports bars looking to future proof their business need to look beyond the NFL for success.
DID YOU KNOWS…
Guys, Stahp
As a heads-up: this one is a bit NSFW… or at least is really gross. But apparently some questionable science has led to some men dipping their junk into soy sauce. It started with a teen on TikTok insisting that you can taste food with your testicles. Her source? The Daily Mail. *eye roll* Anyways, this led to a slew of men actually trying this -- which is problematic. And some were sending clips of them doing so to an underage child… which is even more problematic. Regardless, don’t dip your genitals into soy sauce. It’s stupid. And it’s faulty science.
Coronavirus
As of January 26, 2011 at 11pm EST, there were 2,794 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, of which 2,737 were in China with a further 14 in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao. This map shows the countries/territories that have confirmed cases of the virus. Thailand has confirmed eight cases, while four have been detected in Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. France and South Korea also have three each.
The Youngest Grand Slam Champs
After beating 7-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in the first round of this year’s Australian Open, Coco Gauff notched an even bigger win on Friday by stunning defending champion Naomi Osaka to advance to the round of last 16. The 15-year-old Gauff is now four wins away from becoming the youngest Grand Slam champion in the Open Era, which began in 1968. At the day of the women’s final, Gauff will be 15 years and 325 days old, or roughly five months younger than Martina Hingis was when she won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 1997 Australian Open.
IT’S ELECTRIFYING
Why it matters to you: Energy costs are one expense you can control.
Energy costs have been a burden for restaurant operators as long restaurants have been operated. Which is why these 8 ways you can save on energy costs is super useful for a manager who wants to make their budget this year. There are so many simple steps you can take that will go a great distance to lower your overall energy budget. Among the first opportunities is automating your thermostat. By using a smart device to track your usage, you can better manage your heating and air conditioning expenses. The device will help suggest your best path to keep the restaurant at the right temperature, but not require you incessantly monitor the process. But a smart device alone won’t help knock down those pesky electric or gas bills.
One not so high-tech way to lower your HVAC expenses is by incorporating filter change-outs as a part of your cleaning routine. It won’t just lower your energy costs, but also the decreased strain on your system and will reduce repair expenses. Another low-tech approach includes unplugging devices that don’t need power when you are closed. For example, signage and displays both use electricity even when they aren’t turned on for use. By including unplugging and plugging of these devices into your daily routine, you can save money all while simply doing what you do. Energy costs aren’t optional in the restaurant industry, but you can opt to keep them under control. So check out the other ideas and get to making sure the utilities don’t get the lion-share of your profit.
[Source: FSR Magazine]
THANKS FOR THE REMINDER
Why it matters to you: You can’t succeed at social without a plan.
It’s ironic that something as new social media has become just another of the myriad things required of any success restaurant operator. Which is why we can all use a reminder about the basics of social media execution. This primer on social media marketing for the restaurant industry is a solid reminder on the basics of social execution from which you could benefit. It all starts, as we have commented ad nauseum, by claiming your social profiles. From Google and Yelp to Trip Advisor and Foursquare (yup, they still exist), each site allows you to control some of how you are perceived and don’t charge for including basic details about your restaurant. Of course, you can go further if you think those social profiles will drive traffic.
From there, the conversation ALWAYS turns to content. This comes in a three forms: content about your daily operations (pics of food, short videos showing happy guests, etc.); marketing content which promotes specials or events; and guest generated content, also known as user generated content (UGC). While that sounds like a lot of sources for content, actually executing on it takes time and planning. Of those three, our favorite is the UGC which can really amplify your message. Whether you run a promotion where users tag you or you create a peculiar hashtag with which to associate, you can encourage folks to create content that is fun, engaging and totally free. From best outfit contests to challenges, these types of promos are really entertaining and guests will comply for a good offer. Either way, the truth is we all need a reminder how best to execute one in a while and this is especially try for social media marketing.
[Source: Modern Restaurant Management]
