BOLDLY GO WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE
The Navy’s takes possession of its newest destroyer, the USS Zumwalt, this Friday. This $4B high tech vessel has been enjoying its first sea trials and performing very well. The Zumwalt’s captain was also recently announced, James Kirk. No really, it’s true, James Kirk. What can’t be confirmed is whether he was offered the command of the USS Enterprise… just sayin…
Today's Specials!
BIG DATA EXPLAINED IN UNDER 60 SECONDS [VIDEO]
Big data has been a hot buzzword for a few years now in the IT/tech sphere, but it's only starting to seep into the restaurant industry. Of course, what the hell is big data? Why should you give a fig about it and how can it help your bar or restaurant?
Glad you asked. We created an under a minute video giving you a quick overview of what big data is, how it can improve your quality of service, and boost your bottom line.
THE FUTURE SOUNDS GREAT (sponsored content)
Sports bars and music. They go together, like rama lamma lamma ka dinga da dinga dong. Today, you can be completely in charge of your music. You can widen the available list of songs, or narrow it. You can make the experience truly social. Learn how!
SPORTS TV NEWS
ESPN has announced that it will simulcast its NFL Wild Card playoff game on ABC this season. ABC will also simulcast ESPN's Monday Night Countdown pregame show prior to the Wild Card game. ESPN-ABC teamed up for a similar simulcast this past year for Kansas City vs. Houston's Wild Card game. The event combined for a 14.7 rating and 25.171 million viewers.
FOX and National Geographic are teaming up to create a series of features for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. FOX says it wants to "make the host country one of our characters" and "bring Russia to life" but with a more sports-focus to the features.
Lastly, ESPN is inching closer to creating an ACC Network. ESPN owns the rights to the ACC through the 2026-2027 season and already has created two other networks -- Longhorn and SEC -- under their control. This would be great for sports bars wanting to show all of the ACC college action.
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING
Why it’s important to you: This will make many salaried line managers eligible for overtime
We knew it was coming. So, the fact that the Department of Labor is finally releasing the new rules for overtime can’t be a shock. The shorthand explanation is that any salaried employee that makes less than $47,476 is no longer EXEMPT from overtime eligibility. To be eligible for overtime more than 50% of their work must be line based labor. If they exclusively manage, they are still EXEMPT. But be careful, your definition of managing might not suffice.
It’s no secret that managers in our industry fill in-line positions regularly. In fact, most AGM and KM (and even some GM) positions are primarily functioning as line supervisors. They are taking orders, preparing food and expediting. Since the average full service manager’s salary hovers around the $50K threshold, there will likely be less impact than on quick serve and fast casual operators. Your task now is to review what your managers earn and determine your response. Whether you reduce hours, redefine job descriptions or add more staff, you shouldn’t be caught sleeping. The rules don’t go into effect until December 1, 2016, giving you six months to make thoughtful decisions on this new overtime landscape.
EMPLOYEES ARE LOVING IT
Why it’s important to you: If a corporate juggernaut like McDonald’s sees the importance of employee benefits, so should you
McDonald’s reported an increase in comparable sales for the third straight quarter last month, and CEO Steve Easterbrook didn’t site All-Day breakfast as the reasoning. He linked the growth to better employee benefits and higher wages. By offering better benefits and higher wages, McD’s saw an increase in happier workers and a lower turnover, translating into happier customers and saving the company a ton in recruitment budget.
McD’s hourly wage increase will cap at $10/hr by the end of the year, so still below some state minimum wages. They also implemented PTO and tuition assistance programs. The wage boost and benefits, however, have not been extended to franchise employees which make up the bulk of the company’s staff.
ON A ROAD TO NOWHERE
Why it’s important to you: Jack Dorsey isn’t full committed to Twitter and the results prove that part-time isn’t enough time for success
Twitter burst onto the scene in 2006 and since then has taken the work by storm. Unfortunately, for Jack Dorsey, founder and current CEO, that storm is starting to peter out and nothing they do makes is making it better. Their recent announcement states that links and images will no longer count towards your 140 character tweet limitation. A great move but a little too late. Their core metric — number of tweets per month — has been cut in half over the last year and half.
The annals of business are strewn with stories of failure where commitment didn’t meet opportunity. Dorsey has been playing part-time CEO for a while now. Alas, he can’t hope to fix what ails the platform without making it his full-time priority. You need only to look at Mark Zuckerburg to see what a fully immersed CEO can do for his brand and business. As an owner/operator, what would happen to your business if you served two masters? It wouldn’t take long for things to spiral. Let Twitter be a lesson to those that think success is a casual thing. It’s not!
NADIA’S THEME – JUST SAY NO?
Why it’s important to you: the Olympics will certainly be a topic your guests will expect you to engage
As if there weren’t enough challenges for Brazil with the Rio Games coming this August, the IOC is announced it will be retesting athlete doping tests from both Beijing (2008) and London (2012). This is in the wake of allegations made by the former director of Russia’s anti-doping lab, Gigory Rodchenkov, that he tampered with samples for at least 15 medal winners from Sochi (2014). This could impact dozens of athletes from a variety of nations.
Rodachenkov’s story reads like a cold-war spy novel, with Russian intelligence agents making clandestine visits to taint and switch samples that were previously thought tamper-proof. Brazil’s own agency just recently had their accreditation reinstated after they committed to spending $60MM to upgrade their testing equipment. Bottom line, doping is still an enormous problem for the authorities who decry it’s use and they can’t seem to get it fixed. As long as the stakes are high, there will always be cheating. The questions is, how much is acceptable? I am sure your guests will have their own opinions.