Monday, January 16, 2017
Today's Specials:
HACK: Grade Your Staff [Restaurant Hacks]
Restaurant staff chemistry is a recipe like any other in our industry. Figure out how to build the best staff schedule possible by grading your employees.
BUSINESS: How Bars/Restaurants Can Use Light & Color to Make Money
The mood in bars & restaurants is extremely important to profits. Ambiance and light can drastically affect the way the guests perceive your establishment, as well as their behavior while dining.
DID YOU KNOWs…
If you’re tired of us droning on about new technologies that are benefiting our industry you might want to check out this infographic. It does a credible job of listing, by category an overview of available new & existing tech offerings in the hospitality vertical. With this many players, it’s hard to ignore and that’s why we won’t shut up about it…just sayin’
When Hipster Works
If you want to inspire your bartenders to aspire to more, this quick video that outlines the perfect Manhattan cocktail preparation should do the trick. The bartender in the clip is a pro, knowledgeable and engaging. Certainly the paradigm of the millennial in our industry and a good example of what a high performer looks like. Oh, and he does a great job showing a classic cocktail done right.
And the Award Goes To…
This one’s just for fun. TheMovieNetwork this great gallery that lists the best TV and movie bartenders ever. To be honest we disagree with their conclusions and especially some of their omissions. How can any list not include Isaac from Love Boat and or Quark from Deep Space Nine…alright maybe it’s all matter of opinion
CLEAN FOOD
Why it matters to you: This is one trend that you make work for your restaurant.
Two years ago when Panera committed to going fully ‘clean’ on their menu, it was a huge undertaking. ‘Clean’ means ensuring your menu is committed to antibiotic, hormone and preservative free foods on their menus. This is a big deal and even the CEO of Panera, Ron Saich said to Business Insider, “When we made the commitment, we weren't sure we could get there.” But they have and they aren’t alone. Taco Bell cut all artificial ingredients in 2015, except for those in their co-branded products like the Doritos Locos Tacos.
No doubt it’s worth it or these companies wouldn’t be making the commitment. The consumer trend towards healthier foods and seeking more transparency on sourcing is easier to achieve than you would think. It means that with the help of your main suppliers you could probably reduce your reliance on artificially processed and preservative-free products. This is a great source of differentiation as not many operators have gotten on board. Just being able to say it as part of your self-description is a good marketing advantage. As consumers continue their relentless transformation of their tastes being ahead on this trend will keep you relevant and evolving.
THE WAR FOR TALENT RAGES ON
Why it matters to you: Labor shortages are putting pressure on operators to add more value to employee compensation
Don’t let the folks from the Fight for $15 hear this, but their movement might be on its way to obsolescence. No matter how skeptically you view the current unemployment rate of 4.7%. No one can deny there are real challenges in finding quality staff that we haven’t experienced since before the crash in ’08. Arguments about the efficacy of the minimum wage almost always have no faith in the market. That’s primarily why dramatically increased minimum wage cities like Seattle and San Francisco are business as usual in spite of paying those rates.
The market will out, therefore it’s also time to acknowledge the need for a better structure in our industry for managing compensation. Of course, one method of achieving that is to eliminate tipping. It would seem if operators don’t want to raise prices in response to increased labor expenses, they’ll be left with no choice but to convert to a service charge policy. Let me know how you are dealing with this natural occurring upward pressure on staff wages and we’ll your best ideas in a future post.